#...to the point where you might treat them like a book character rather than a complex human being...

[uncanny-tranny]

When I talk about ground-breaking trans history, I'm talking about this:

[ayoogirlie]

Before I start writing angst, let's go with something pleasant. I just recently started reading and watching MASHLE which is why I don't knowe many characters well.

MASHLE MAIN 5 X GN!READER (separated)

Main 5 falling in love with you!

Mash

This one is oblivious. He doesn't realise he holds special feelings for you. I believe at first he could have though of you as sibling.

You're just as important as his father so why not? The three of you could be a fine family.

He would share creampuff with you... just like with others. Honestly, it would be difficult to notice he likes you in that way. This man is so indifferent or more like he forgot to train his face muscles.

The thing that betrayed his feelings is the fact that he has been following you everywhere like a little duckling his mom.

Whether you have classes together or not. If you had them together — he would sit with you or at least close to you. Some rather prefer to sit alone, which helps them focus. On the other hand, if you have separated classes, he would always escort you to the class and only leave after making sure you sat down.

Mash's main love language would be act of service. I don't find him as a touchy guy — he would respect your personal space. The most he would do is grab the snip of your sleeve to not possibly lose you in crowd. (I find it cute honestly, like he would be to shy to grab your hand, so he would be happy with bare minimum.)

Going back to act of services. I think you would have a special privilege — flavoured creampuff. Coffee, chocolate, strawberry, etc., whichever you want. This guy would take you to kitchen and make you bake them together. Unless, your cooking is hopeless and you can set the kitchen on fire, then you're simply watching him work and talk about the silliest things.

Mash would definitely listen to your rambling. Well, at least he will try to. At some point, he would pass out, if he was overflowing with many new information. Please, go slow with him.

When asking others for help with you, he first would try to figure things out himself. Only if he had no more ideas, would he ask his friends for love advices (most likely Lance or Finn).

This guy is so sweet yet so clueless. He loves you so clumsily and as a boyfriend he doesn't change his attitude much. He already treated you in special way. Well, maybe he'll get more intimate with you. I'll leave it to your imagination.

Finn

I simply adore this boy. His love is as innocent as he is. Literally, he would be all red and shy when he realised his feelings for you.

He would get nervous around you and every possible physical contact would make him explode. He's too focused to not make any mistakes in front of you, that he forgets to relax.

Well, it's not like he's always like that. His heart would explode at this point. There are some moments, when he is even sweeter than he is now. It's when you simply sit somewhere and do nothing, just enjoying your existence. He feels so calm that he wish those moments would last forever.

Finn likes DIY. So I bet he would make some for you, it might be jewelry, plushie or something more practical. Whatever you'll ask for he will do. (If it's in terms of his skills.)

If you ask him to teach you how to make some, he would be more than happy. Who wouldn't be happy to spend time with their crush?

He would carefully explain everything and help you if you have any difficulties with the project. Sometimes I wonder where he gets all this patience from. Whether you would get discouraged or curse how hard it is, he would try to calm you down and explain your mistakes.

When I'm still talking about teaching. Study session. I just see with my eyes of imagination. The two of you sitting in library beside each other and bending over books. It depends on you — whether he's teaching you some subject or you just enjoy your company.

Finn loves animals. I think, he would always tell you many random fact about them and won't stop talking, until he gets a hold on himself.

When he finally remembers himself, he will start apologising and feeling bad about being the only one talking. Then you kave to reassure him that you really don't mind and he can continue.

As a boyfriend, he treats you very well. People might say he's a perfect boyfriend material, but you can see how much he tries and I hope you do as much for him as he does for you.

Lance

Honestly, I can't imagine him giving someone else attention than his sister. Like this sis-con on has Anna in his head. So you can imagine how everyone was surprised when they noticed his unusual behaviour towards you.

And it wasn't some big change. No. It was more subtle. He was less strict with you than he is with others. Whenever you seemed sad because of his, sometimes mean, comments, he would apologise. (It took him a lot of courage to say this simple words.) He was more careful with his act to not sadden you.

I believe that after some time of knowing each other he would tell you about his sister and maybe if he happens to trust you a lot — about her illness as well.

He strikes me as a gentleman at some point. He would hold the door for you, help you with school work and follow you almost everywhere as if it was his duty.

Unfortunately for you, his sister will always be his number one, so unless you accept this fact, I don't think he will try to do anything with your relationship.

As well as it was with Finn, you two would have study session together. This guy is so clever that it would be stupid not to ask for help with the subject, spell or other thing you have difficulties with.

He truly admires you. You saw him in numerous embarrassing situations, for example when he was talking to Anna's pictures etc. Everyone' else would already start avoiding him. Maybe that's why he finds you as a perfect match for himself. Someone who wouldn't judge his behaviour and just accept his 'imperfections'.

Lance would respect your personal space and it would have to be you who initiates physical contact (mostly before your relationship). But he would place his hand on your waist with excuse not to let you bump into others.

He looks like the guy who would give other people, who are talking to you, nasty glare, when you don't look. It's not that he doesn't believe in his charm, it's just the fact that he doesn't like others being to close or touchy with you.

As a boyfriend Lance becomes more possessive and clingy. He would hug you from behind and gets touchy when you least expect it. Well, at least you're never bored.

Dot

It's easy to captivate this hot-headed guy's heart... if you're a woman of course. Male readers have it harder. But now we are talking about the stage he is already in love.

He would always boast to his friends about how he's going to marry you with no shame. Of course, always when you're absent. If by chance you will witness him saying it. He would want to hide under ground.

He would always scream at the person, you would give too much attention. He gets easily jealous, but he act like thata with every male that gets too much attention from others.

That's why you don't realise he holds any special feelings towards you. He still acts like he act towards women, so you don't think any special of the way he treats you.

I believe Dot would be touchy with you. Like put his arm over your shoulder or surprise you from behind. Honestly, if he would have ever touched you in a way that would make you feel uncomfortable, as a man he is — he would never forgive himself.

In his eyes, he gives you special treatment. He doesn't play pranks on you and even with Lemon in room, he always focus on what you're saying and so on.

After some time, he gets more obvious that others notice his strange behaviour. He always stares at you, daydream about you two being together. His eyes are always following your person.

When you're close, he catch himself on enjoying your fragrance. Later of course, Dot will blame himself as well call himself a pervert. But you cannot be mad at him. He just can't get enough of you.

If he only could he would almost always hold you in his arms and never let go, while being too scared you might run away from him.

He is energetic, so as a boyfriend he would take you to many places. Date? Let's go to amusement park, if not, we have many other options. Of course, sometimes you two have home dates, where you just cuddle and enjoy eachother company.

Lemon

Congratulations. You just won over Mash and captured Lemon's heart. This turn of event surprised everyone, like literally everyone, even Mash.

Lemon would act similar like she did while having crush on Mash. She would be so delulu and talk about how the two of you are engaged and all (in fact you aren't... for now).

She would randomly grab your arm and hug it. People got used to seeing you this way. The two of you walking through the corridor, you look like those couples who always stick close to eachother.

She gets easily jealous of other people you're close with, expect for Mash, Lance, Finn and Dot, since she knows they won't try anything with you. When she feels threatened by someone, she would get closer to you or (in most cases) panic.

She would definitely share Cupid Gummies with you. Like she would buy it and almost immediately run to you only to give you some. She thinks of it as a special bond between the two of you.

Lemon blush a lot around you, that's for sure. You get too close? With red as tomato face, she would slap you. She gets a little violent when nervous, it's the fact you have to accept. But who can blame her? She's so happy to have you around that she cannot control her actions.

She's like a ray of sunshine, which is why whenever you're sad, she will try to make you feel better. Sometimes when words won't help, she just sits next to you. She wants you to know she will be always here for you.

You would get a lucky charm from her. One reason is that to keep you safe, other is to have her close to you. While making a design she would try to match with your taste. Like when she made Mash creampuff plushie, she would make something similar.

Whenever she would have problems with spells, she would go to you. Perfect excuse to spend time together! In exchange, she would teach you theory you would have problem with.

As a girlfriend, Lemon is very sweet. She wouldn't have to find excuses just to spend time with you. You would be often seen together eating lunch or walkings around while holding hands.

[bats2102]

ACOWAR set up an Elain+Lucien Book

ACOWAR is Elucien coded. This book lays out all the major plot points, characters, and powers that will shape the relationship between Elain and Lucien. As I revisited ACOWAR, I couldn't help but notice a ton of textual evidence hinting at a final pairing between them.

For those who disagree that Lucien demonstrates any traits that correlate to a mating bond, I encourage you to actually look at Lucien’s behavior and actions through the ACOWAR novel. And if you are not interested in re-reading the novel, that’s okay I brought receipts. 

This analysis will provide compelling evidence of the Elucien connection and illuminate how ACOWAR lays the groundwork for their future storyline. Below are the main areas that will be explored, each accompanied by corresponding headers.

Early Mate Behavior 

Lucien’s introspection and selflessness

Primal mate behavior and the BOND BONDING

Parallels between their “souls” and characters

Lucien’s Devotion to Elain

The Internal conflict regarding bond

Future plot/story

And for good measure: Amren thinking Lucien is also Hot AF (ACOWAR edition)

Early Mate Behavior 

Lucien demonstrates mate behavior early as page 10 in ACOWAR by showing concern and determination to find Elain, whom he believes is being kept by Rhysand. Feyre, however, counters Lucien's determination by dismissing the significance of the mating bond between him and Elain. She argues that the mating bond is merely a physical reaction and implies that Lucien's actions are driven by instinct rather than genuine emotional connection to Elain. Feyre tries to undermine the legitimacy of Lucien's feelings by suggesting that he's being controlled by the bond and doesn't truly know Elain.

In response, Lucien challenges Feyre's perspective by drawing a parallel to her own situation with Rhysand. Countering that if that were the case it would apply to her bond to Rhys as well. He questions whether her relationship with Rhysand a physical reaction is also just, implying that their bond might be more than Feyre is willing to acknowledge.

“Despite what Jurian implied regarding how my sisters will be treated by Rhysand, I had told him, despite what the Night Court is like, they won’t hurt Elain or Nesta like that—not yet. Rhysand has more creative ways to harm them. Lucien still seemed to doubt it (ACOWAR pp.10)”

Lucien breathed, “Where is he keeping her?” I knew who he meant. I shook my head. “I don’t know. Rhysand has a hundred places where they could be, but I doubt he’d use any of them to hide Elain, knowing that I’m aware of them.” “Tell me anyway. List all of them.” “You’ll die the moment you set foot in his territory.” “I survived well enough when I found you.” “You couldn’t see that he had me in thrall. You let him take me back.” Lie, lie, lie. But the hurt and guilt I expected weren’t there. Lucien slowly released his grip. “I need to find her.” “You don’t even know Elain. The mating bond is just a physical reaction overriding your good sense.” “Is that what it did to you and Rhys?” A quiet, dangerous question. But I made fear enter my eyes, let myself drag up memories of the Weaver, the Carver, the Middengard Wyrm so that old terror drenched my scent. “I don’t want to talk about that,” I said, my voice a rasping wobble. (ACOWAR pp. 12-13)

Lucien's strong commitment to Elain's safety, is not solely driven by their bond it is also powered by his past experiences and concerns about Rhys's reputation. Unable to confirm Elain's well-being, he fears she may be subjected to the Night Court's dark reputation, intensifying his urgency to locate her. We know as readers that elain is not being harmed in her stay in NC, however Lucien has only known NC to be a place of horror thus the inability to confirm Elain's safety leads Lucien to contemplate the possibility that the Night Court's notorious reputation is being imposed upon her, adding an extra layer of concern and urgency. 

“She is my mate and in my enemy’s hands—” “I’ve made no secret from the start that Elain is safe and cared for.” “And I’m supposed to believe you.” “Yes,” I hissed. “You are. Because if I believed for one moment that my sisters were in danger, no High Lord or king would have kept me from going to save them.” He just shook his head, the candlelight dancing over his hair. “You have the gall to question my priorities regarding Elain—yet what was your motive where I was concerned? Did you plan to spare me from your path of destruction because of any genuine friendship, or simply for fear of what it might do to her?” I didn’t answer. 

If you are going to re-read a portion of the novel, I implore you to read pages 145-150 (Kindle edition) of ACOWAR. This portion of the novel really provides a look at character dynamics, Lucien’s loyalty, themes of trust and betrayal, and foreshadows future conflicts. Lucien argues that he NEEDS TO SEE elain safe, and he was willing to stand up against his perceived enemy the NC to ensure that is achieved. From his perspective, he likely sees parallels between the Night Court's actions and Tamlin's treatment of Feyre. Rather than escalating tensions or reacting rashly to the complexities of the mating bond, Lucien opts for a measured response: "There is a longer story to be told, it seems (ACOWAR pp.146-147). This response defuses the immediate tension and allows for further discussion without further antagonizing Rhysand. Lucien's choice to stand down and patiently await the chance to see Elain underscores his unwavering commitment to her well-being and his understanding of the delicate circumstances at hand, showcasing his loyalty and depth of character.

Lucien’s introspection and selflessness 

And you know what Lucien does next, he listens to Feyre’s story. He actively listens to her story, willing to acknowledge and understand her expirences while reflecting on his own role, he doesn’t dismiss her words or react indifferently: 

“So, I told him. All of it—the story that perhaps would help him understand. And realize how truly safe Elain was—he now was (p.149)

“I hadn’t realized I was a villain in your narrative,” Lucien breathed. “You weren’t.” Not entirely. (P.150)”

This shows a level of introspection and self-awareness on Lucien's part, as he acknowledges the possibility that his actions may have been seen in a negative light by others. (Which I could argue almost all characters in the series do not reflect on the consequences of their actions and their effect on others. So pro self-reflective Lucien!)

When Lucien request Feyre to tell him about elain. He takes Feyre’s assessment of her sister in this passage “Elain would put on a hat and gloves and kneel in the dirt, weeding. She acted like a purebred lady in every regard but that (ACOWAR pp.13)” and runs with it. He LISTENED to Feyre’s description of elain so closely that he knew she would wear gloves when she gardened and considered in the next book (ACOSAF) that it would be a suitable gift to give her gloves, that is thoughtful, and I will not argue otherwise. 

Furthermore, when this man is telling Feyre how he was SA during calanmai, rather than focusing on himself in regard to this traumatic expirences, he is worried of what elain will think of this situation. Lucien was SA and his thoughts were still centered to the care of elain.

But Lucien … “You took Ianthe into that cave on Calanmai?” He wouldn’t meet my gaze. “She insisted. Tamlin was … Things were bad, Feyre. I went in his stead, and I did my duty to the court. I went of my own free will. And we completed the Rite.” No wonder she’d backed off him. She’d gotten what she wanted. “Please don’t tell Elain,” he said. “When we—when we find her again,” he amended. (ACOWAR pp 33)

Primal mate behavior and the BOND BONDING (just evidence of their bond, for those who want to invalidate it)

“But Lucien’s attention went right to the hallway toward the back, his nostrils flaring as he scented Elain’s direction. And who she’d gone with. A low snarl slipped out of him— “Relax,” Rhys said. “Azriel isn’t the ravishing type.” Lucien cut him a glare. (p.254)

“It felt … strange,” Elain breathed. “Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib.” Lucien exposed his palms to her. “I’m sorry.” Elain only stared at him for a long moment. (pp.301)

“There’s a bond—it’s a real thread,” he said, more to himself than us. “And?” Mor asked. Lucien ran both hands through his long red hair. His skin was darker—a deep golden-brown, compared to the paleness of Eris’s coloring. “And I got to Elain’s end of it when she ran off.” “Did you sense anything?” “No—I didn’t have time. I felt her, but …” A blush stained his cheek. Whatever he’d felt, it wasn’t what we were looking for. Even if we had no idea what, precisely, that was. “We can try again—another day,” I offered. Lucien nodded but looked unconvinced. (p.302)

Being the one to trust elain’s visions and act upon them. Also, everyone else being concerned about their bond if something happened to him.

He only glanced at Elain, whose face was again a calm void while she traced a finger over the embroidery on the couch cushions. “Yes. Let me help in whatever way I can.” Even Nesta seemed relatively concerned. Not for him, no doubt, but the fact that if he were hurt, or killed … What would it do to Elain? The severing of the mating bond … I shut out the thought of what it’d do to me.

Lucien is the one to ask for a healer to see elain, he recognizes that elain went through trauma, LUCIEN WAS the one who verbally acknowledge elain went through trauma. 

“It wouldn’t hurt to have a healer look her over. Externally and internally.” I was tired enough that I could barely summon the breath to ask, “Do you think the Cauldron made her insane?” “I think she went through something terrible,” Lucien countered carefully. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have your best healer do a thorough examination.” (pp. 288-289)

And you know who thinks Elain’s mate will help her??? MADJA, Why? Because their souls connected

“Does she need further help?” Nesta said through her teeth. The ancient healer jerked her chin toward Lucien. “See what he can do. If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate.” “How.” The word was barely more than a barked command. I braced myself to warn Nesta to be polite, but Madja said to my sister, as if she were a small child, “The mating bond. It is a bridge between souls.” 

What if Lucien was a gift from the cauldron?? 

“But what if the Cauldron gave something to Elain?” Nesta’s face drained of color. “What?” Equally ashen, Lucien seemed inclined to echo Nesta’s hoarse question. (p.336)”.

Parallels between their souls and characters

Elain and Lucien’s characters parallel one another and complement each other so splendidly. Lucien being the son of the high lord of day, and elain character first appearing in ACOWAR in a “suite filled with sunlight” in a “chair before the sunniest window (p. 154).” 

Elain is further associated with LIGHT and SUNSHINE, through the novel:

“Even wasted away by grief and despair, Elain’s beauty was remarkable. Hers was a face that could bring kings to their knees. And yet there was no joy in it. No light. No life. (p.246)”

The frustration. “What can I get you, Elain?” Only with Elain did she use that voice. But Elain shook her head once more. “Sunshine.” (p.302)

Well would you look at that, elain HERSELF thinks she needs sunshine.

They are both social beings who require light to feel alive: 

“Weeks of cloistering Elain had done nothing to improve her state (p.248)”

They both have eyes that allow them to see things that are hidden to others: 

“What makes you think you could find her?” Rhys asked. Not rudely, but—from a commander’s perspective. Sizing up the skills Lucien offered against the risks, the potential benefits. “This eye …” Lucien gestured to the metal contraption. “It can see things that others … can’t. Spells, glamours … Perhaps it can help” (p.339)

In the following passage Elain displays agency by taking control of the situation and proposing a plan of action to address a potential threat. She actively engages in decision-making and asserts her autonomy by insisting on speaking to the individual herself, despite objections from others. Similar to Lucien, who just left to find the individuals from elain’s visions and serves as an emissary and prioritizes the protection of his people. Elain steps forward with a plan to negotiate with a potential threat to ensure the safety of those seeking sanctuary.

Elain considered. “I can speak to him.” “No,” I said—at the same moment Nesta did. But Elain cut us off. “If—if you and … they”—a glance at Rhys, my friends—“come with me, your Fae scents might distract the dogs.” “You’re Fae, too,” Nesta reminded her. “Glamour me,” Elain said—to Rhys. “Make me look human. Just long enough to convince him to open his gates to those seeking sanctuary. Perhaps even let you set those wards around the estate.”

Elain also remembers that Lucien was the one to seek out the individual from her vision: “And even with the truth laid bare … none of us told him that Lucien had gone after her. Elain seemed to remember, though. Who was hunting for that missing queen.”

Both characters' aversion to violence highlights their compassionate and empathetic personalities, as well as their desire for peace and harmony. While they may find themselves involved in conflicts due to external circumstances, they both harbor a deep-seated discomfort with the inherent violence of such situations, reflecting their shared values of empathy, kindness, and a preference for peaceful resolutions. The repetition of this in the interaction where Elain reveals she only stabbed the enemy, not made the killing blow, underscores her aversion to violence and her reluctance to engage in battle, mirroring Lucien's own distaste for violence.

“Will—will many of these soldiers die?” I cringed, but Nesta said, “Yes.” I could almost see the unspoken words Nesta reined in. Your mate might die sooner than them, though” (p.485)

The sound as both armies collided … I didn’t have words for it. Elain covered her ears, cringing.

“Well, I never want to fight in another battle as long as I live, but … yes, I’m in one piece.” A faint smile bloomed on Elain’s lips (p. 675)”

Devotion to Elain

This man is devastated by Elain's mental state. Since the bond is a profound connection between two souls, and based on the text, Elain currently doesn't know how to block the bond, it's crucial to consider that every emotion Elain experiences is could also be felt by Lucien. Given her current unwellness, imagine the agony of being told she's fine and safe, only to witness her as a mere "hollow" version of the person described to him, likely feeling every ounce of the despair she's currently enduring.

Lucien was standing in the doorway. And from the devastation on his face, I knew he’d heard every word. Seen and heard and felt the hollowness and despair radiating from her. Elain had always been gentle and sweet—and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the of the world and choose, over and over, to love, to be kind. She had been always so full of light. (ACOWAR p. 156)

(Side note: elain being described as light again when at her best)

He saw her in this state than decided that he would be willing to subject himself to Rhysands control and the NC in order to be near her. 

“This house is warded against winnowing, both from outside and within. There’s one way out—the stairs to the city. It, too, is warded—and guarded. Please don’t do anything stupid.” “So, am I a prisoner?” I could feel the response simmering in Rhys, but I shook my head. “No. But understand while you may be her mate, Elain is my sister. I’ll do what I must to protect her from further harm.” “I would never hurt her.” A bleak sort of honesty in his words. I simply nodded, loosening a breath, and met Rhysands stare in silent urging. 

Lucien is acutely aware that Rhysand intends to exploit Elain's presence in the Night Court to manipulate him. And we know that this is indeed true as evident from Rhysand's own admission, "I trust in the fact that we currently have possession of the one thing he wants above all else (p. 195)," which underscores Rhyland’s strategic mindset. Recognizing Lucien's unwavering commitment to Elain's safety, Rhysand leverages this vulnerability to exert control over Lucien's actions. Moreover, Rhysand manipulates Feyre's perception of Lucien, exploiting her concerns and emphasizing his own ability to sway Lucien's decisions. This manipulation is evident in Rhysand's question to Feyre, "If he got Elain away, back to Spring or wherever … do you believe, deep down, that he wouldn’t sell what he knows? (p.195)." This inquiry serves to sow doubt and uncertainty, further solidifying his hold over Lucien and Feyre's perception of him.

Now from pages p.675-68 there are many important points between elain and Lucien but given how long this already is I will focus on a few. Following the battle, Lucien’s concerns regarding elain’s wellbeing are immediately demonstrated by ensuring her condition. Lucien acknowledges her contribution and shows understanding, indicating a supportive and encouraging dynamic between them. This is shown through Lucien acknowledging that elains visions were correct, the loss of her father, and her contribution to the killing of hyburn. During this elain invites Lucien to velaris (with encouragement of Feyre, she is still the one who said it), and are later seen in close proximity of one another. They are seen walking side by side or falling into step with each other, and there’s an unspoken understanding between them where they seem to intuitively know how to support each other without needing to verbalize their feelings. So, no I do not agree that they are ill suited or do not like being in each other presence, I believe it to be more complicated than that. 

Internal conflict regarding bond

To be honest, I'm just going to ask you to read pages 248-254. If you can read this, look into Lucien's thoughts, and believe that Lucien does not demonstrate mate behaviour and that Azriel is the character who understands and has undying devotion to Elain, then you're missing important components illustrated of Lucien's feelings. 

Lucien's concern for Elain is palpable as he observes her deteriorating mental and physical state. He feels her pain and suffering deeply, evidenced by his internal turmoil and desire to alleviate her suffering. Despite the risk of facing Rhysand's wrath, Lucien ventures out to seek a moment of respite, yet his primary focus remains on Elain's well-being. In the context of Lucien's guilt regarding Elain and his past relationship with Jesminda, there's a significant emotional burden that he carries. Lucien's guilt could be manifesting in his interactions with Elain, leading to moments of hesitation or emotional distance as he grapples with conflicting emotions. He may struggle with feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness, believing that he's not deserving of a mating bond with elain due to his unresolved feelings regarding Jesminda death, for which he holds himself responsible. Lucien's guilt regarding his mating bond with Elain and his past relationship with Jesminda adds layers of complexity to his character and relationships.

The highlighted passages below offer a crucial moment in the narrative, revealing the complex dynamics between Lucien and Elain and hinting at future storylines. His unwavering belief in Elain's abilities and the importance of her visions is evident as he volunteers to pursue the truth behind her latest revelation. 

As they are left alone together, the potential for significant developments in their relationship becomes apparent, as the deliberate departure of the other characters to create a space for Lucien and Elain to engage in a private conversation, the contents of which remain unknown. The deliberate departure of other characters creates a private space for Lucien and Elain, foreshadowing what could happen if provided the space to properly explore their mating bond. 

Before departing, Lucien shares a silent exchange with Elain, their gazes locking in a moment with Lucien’s filled with unspoken longing and sadness. Despite the palpable connection between them, neither Lucien nor Elain vocalizes their emotions, leaving the true nature of their bond ambiguous. Lucien's failure to glance back at Elain and Rhys's departure symbolize the unspoken barriers and uncertainties surrounding their relationship. This poignant moment highlights the intricate dance of emotions between Lucien and Elain, setting the stage for deeper exploration in future narratives.

“There is a reason why Elain is seeing these things. She was right about the other queen turning old, about the Ravens’ attack—why is she being sent this image? Why is she hearing this queen? It must be vital. If we ignore it, perhaps we’ll deserve to fail.” Silence. I surveyed them all. Vital. Each of them was vital here. But me … I sucked in a breath. “I’ll go.” Lucien was staring at Elain as he spoke. We all looked at him. Lucien shifted his focus to Rhys, to me. “I’ll go,” he repeated, rising to his feet. “To find this sixth queen.”

“And for once, my sister rose to her feet and came toward us, the three of us not so subtly heading upstairs. Leaving Lucien and Elain alone. It was an effort not to linger atop the landing, to listen to what was said. If anything was said at all.

Before that dark wind swept in, Lucien looked back. Not to me, I realized—to someone behind me. Pale and thin, Elain stood atop the stairs. Their gazes locked and held. But Elain said nothing. Did not so much as take one step downward. Lucien inclined his head in a bow, the movement hiding the gleam in his eye—the longing and sadness.”

“And when Lucien turned to signal to Rhys to go … He did not glance back at Elain. Did not see the half step she took toward the stairs—as if she’d speak to him. Stop him. Then Rhys was gone, and Lucien with him. When I turned to offer Elain breakfast, she’d already walked away.” (p.345)

Elain's conversation with her fiancé Greyson reveals the complications of her feelings regarding Lucien and the mating bond. Initially, Elain expresses uncertainty and confusion about her desires, admitting that she doesn't know what she wanted when she returned to Greyson. This passage with her literal fiancé illustrates her internal conflict (There is no evidence that elain wants to reject Lucien in the text of ACOWAR). Greyson's refusal to accept Elain's bond with Lucien further exacerbates her emotional turmoil, as she struggles to reconcile her mating bond with her desire for a conventional human male. 

Elain’s internal struggle to assert her agency and autonomy in the face of external expectations and societal norms will be important in her character development. Elain's initial denial and resistance pave the way for a journey of self-discovery and growth, where she must confront her fears and insecurities before embracing her true identity and forging a deeper connection with Lucien.

Graysen swallowed. “Did you think you could come back here—live with me as this … lie?” “No. Yes. I—I don’t know what I wanted—” “And you are bound to some … Fae male. A High Lord’s son.” A different High Lord’s heir, likely, I wanted to say. “His name is Lucien.” I wasn’t certain if I’d ever heard his name from her lips. “I don’t care what his name is.” The first sharp words from Graysen. “You are his mate. Do you even know what that means?” “It means nothing,” Elain said, her voice breaking. “It means nothing. I don’t care who decided it or why they did—” “You belong to him.” “I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you.” Graysen’s face hardened. “I don’t want it.” (pp. 499-500)

The following moment marks a significant turning point in Elain's life as she realizes that her connection with Lucien has severed her ties to her previous human existence. Foreshadow the complexities and conflicts that may arise in Elain and Lucien's relationship, as well as the internal struggles Elain will face in reconciling her human past with her fae future. 

“So, Elain silently cried, the tears so unending that I wondered if it was some sign of her heart bleeding out. Some sliver of hope that had shattered today. That Graysen would still love her, still marry her—and that love would trump even a mating bond. A final tether had been snapped—to her life in the human lands. Only our father, wherever he was, remained as any sort of connection.” (p. 503).

Future plot:

Anyways ACOWAR set up elain and Lucien’s future plot lines. Through introducing koschei, elain’s vision, vassas curse (Lucien=spell cleaver, elain=discovered vassa), Tamlin and spring court (after all elain does think the WORLD needs more garden (p.693)) Eris and Lucien’s dynamic, discovering Helion is Lucien’s father, elain mourning her father (Lucien and him knew each other), elain and Lucien discovering their magic (their eyes) ... ect... 

And if you want to argue that Azriel has any major role in these plot lines I encourage you to read ACOSF and HOFAS as there is ample evidence that the characters and plots introduced in those novels are more centre to his and Gwyn’s character (I can bring more receipts... as essentially ACOWAR set up nessian and Elucien, and ACOSF set up gwynriel and Mor+em). It is crucial to analyze the plot lines beyond the lens of mere smut and romance, as this narrow focus undermines the depth of storytelling Sarah J. Maas has woven into the narrative. By broadening our perspective, we can fully appreciate the intricacies of the plot and explore the multifaceted dynamics that extend beyond the relationship between the MMC+MFC. 

And finally, while I can acknowledge that all these points are directed to an elain and Elucien book. SJM will still and will always have the final say.... 

Amren thinking Lucien being Hot AF (ACOWAR edition)

Even fucking Amren thinks Lucien is hot af.

But it was Amren who said from the floor, “You should kill Beron and his sons and set up the handsome one as High Lord of Autumn, self-imposed exile, or no. It will make life easier.” “I’ll take that into consideration,” Rhys said, striding toward her while I remained with the others. (p.159)

[delicatenerdbluebird]

My Random Takes on The Secret History (contains spoilers)

The biggest tragedy that comes with being Richard Papen coded is you need a group like Julian's Greek class to feel normal about yourself because the rest of the world makes you feel like a misfit.

That Richard and Camilla scene where she reveals being physically abused by Charles... I feel that scene is a strong criticism of abusive households. Like Richard was used to seeing his mother getting beaten by his father and sometimes he was also a victim of his violence. And in 'that' scene, he fantasizes about doing the same to Camilla and worse. This shows it's a never-ending cycle no matter how you see it. The kids are gonna end up developing fucked up fantasies if their exposure to fucked up things is constant.

I strongly believe Henry was gonna make Richard the scapegoat had something gone sideways. And honestly, it makes perfect sense. Richard insisted on joining their class. He was an outsider. Henry could have easily made up something like Richard was envious of their group, he was jealous of his and Bunny's closeness and so he ended up killing him, something along those lines that Richard wanted to be accepted and we would not accept him instantly, naturally because of our prior history. Knowing how Henry was good with words, he could have made Richard an obsessive, disturbed freak to the FBI for all we know. Remember how Henry saved him from getting frozen to death? This incident can be perfectly used to portray him as a mentally disturbed person who would rather freeze to death than go back to his home to a normal eye.

Now Julian. Oh, Julian I knew was the red flag the moment it was mentioned he does not accept students who have different ideas than his. But to think that fucker would turn out to be the biggest crankiest bitch?!! I mean I am soo mad he was the one who fed those Dionysiac ideas to them and in the end, he just ran away?! I was baffled by how he treated Henry during that confession scene he did not even listen to him completely... Henry does not stutter HE WAS STUTTERING and Julian shoved the letter back to him... I mean the disrespect! This scene (for me at least) was a reality check that no matter how loving, cool, caring, and impactful you might think your teacher is, at the end of the day, they are gonna be a teacher and you are gonna be just a student. It destroyed my heart when Henry said he loved Julian more than his own father 😭 The worst thing you can do is take advantage of the vulnerabilities of someone who not only respects you but also loves you dearly. This mf can move mountains and I would still hate his old rat ass!

Charles and Camilla Idek what to make of them. Charles turned from a pitiable character to an entirely disgusting one for me. I accept Francis' theory that he wouldn't have made that much fuss about his interrogating situation if Camilla and Henry weren't a thing. Remember when Camilla and Henry had some secret code and he got mad why he didn't know about it? I do think camilla and henry were always a thing before it became apparent to everyone. Besides the book is from Richard's perspective, and he does seem oblivious at times.

I am not aware of the popular takes in the fandom so I don't know if this is gonna be a hot take or not but Camilla gave pick-me-girl vibes. She did not have any girl friends and looked down upon Judy (I am not asking them to be besties exactly but a little respect won't have killed) Judy only developed a weird impression about them during that party scene when Camilla dropped her drink onto her and did not apologize (or was it the opposite? i dont remember exactly but the point is Judy is not the type to judge others for no reason...she judged them after that party) Camilla's attitude could be attributed to the fact that Charles was controlling but idk

The Secret History reminded me of The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot (some of the verses below):

We are the hollow men

    We are the stuffed men

    Leaning together

    Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!

    Our dried voices, when

    We whisper together

    Are quiet and meaningless

    As wind in dry grass

    Or rats' feet over broken glass

    In our dry cellar

   

    Shape without form, shade without colour,

    Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

So basically I am yapping here because my friend hasn't finished tsh yet and I just needed to let it all out 😩

Not to mention I absolutely love my expensive gossip boy Francis 🥺 ☕

(Thank u for reading it this far!!)

[markantonys]

wotseries posted an alleged elaida audition script about 1) her telling presumably leane that she's at the tower to look for elayne and also that siuan's in a big mess and she could use elaida's help in cleaning it up, and 2) her discussing prophetic powers with min.

the first scene is pretty standard with what we've been predicting for elaida and the white tower plotline in s3, so i don't have any commentary on that one for now (though it does imply that, indeed, we'll be setting up the coup to be a slowburn season-long event with elaida weaseling around for a while before making her big move, rather than a shock event that happens early in the season, but i think most of us were thinking this already anyway).

the second scene is interesting because a different leak had placed min in tanchico. wotup's leaks have been flagrantly incorrect before (said faile would be in s2) and wotseries' audition scripts have also been flagrantly incorrect before (said gawyn would be in s2), so at this point it's just a question of which source i distrust more, and i can't answer that haha so for the time being i'll treat both Min Locations as equally plausible. (i'm assuming it'll only be one or the other because i find it hard to imagine that she could make an appearance in both locations during the course of the season, but i suppose you never know.)

looking at where s2 left off, both are equally plausible. min is in cairhien, and both siuan & co and liandrin are also in cairhien. i could see siuan snatching min back to the white tower because she knows about her powers and wants to use them, and i could also see liandrin snatching min over to tanchico because she considers her a liability after min betrayed her/didn't follow through on the deal/figured out she's a darkfriend.

looking at min's established story in the show and where her story goes in future in the books (lmao at the statement that min has a story in the books), both are equally plausible. tanchico would put her back into contact with liandrin and mat to follow up on her story with them in s2 and set up for her future seanchan story with mat (and doubly so if there's a seanchan presence or even tuon herself in tanchico in s3). the white tower would return her to her book storyline and, based on this scene with elaida, potentially give her the opportunity to have a storyline exploring the nature of her powers and her relationship with them. either storyline would allow her to go on to cross paths with rand in the next season or two.

(edited to add that tanchico would also have min interacting with elayne to help set up the polycule. i've so thoroughly made the polycule rand/elayne/avi/mat in my mind that i kinda forgot min is the canonical fourth member when i was making this post djkfg)

i will say that in the books, the tower coup has absolutely 0 bearing on min's overall character/story because she has 0 stakes in any of that stuff and 0 connection to aes sedai. it makes for an interesting 1-book storyline for her, but it's never relevant to her again (vs. someone like gawyn who is dealing with the repercussions of the coup in his storyline for pretty much the rest of the series), and so for that reason i wouldn't be sorry to replace her book storyline with an invented tanchico storyline that might have more long-term relevance to her (re: seanchan stuff). however, if the show expands her white tower storyline to include an exploration of her powers, i'd love that because min actively struggling with and trying to navigate and learn more about and figure out how best to use her powers is something that should have been part of her current story rather than her pre-series backstory. and compare/contrasting with elaida and how SHE uses her prophetic abilities would be super interesting!

that being said, i will never again trust any wotseries audition scripts after the utter betrayal that was the gawyn one, so i'm taking this all with a grain of salt! every time they post a new one they're like "disclaimer that scenes could be invented just for auditions and won't appear in the actual show, but most of our past audition scripts have appeared in the show pretty close to the audition version" and i'm like "what about that time you misled me to believe a whole-ass boy would be present in s2 and then he wasn't???? is gawyngate a joke to you???" lmao i wish they'd be a bit more cautious with their audition script disclaimers bc *i* think they've been pretty hit or miss, not Usually Accurate (even the aviendha one, only 1 of 2 scenes made it into the show iirc).

[androgynousblackbox]

OKAY, so I haven't actually finished the book yet so maybe my opinion on this will change, but I honestly feel like the gringo booktubers I watch all have no idea of what to do with Tender Is The Flesh and are fundamentally wrong about it? Like, saw someone trying to say "this book tries to criticize the food we eat rather than the industry", which sounds like absolute fucking bullshit to me because a BIG portion of the fucking book is all about how the industry is treating "the meat" like fucking dogshit and how the characters themselves, the ones who work inside of the industry, are disgusted whenever anyone even attempts to say there is something good about it. There is this constant cognitive dissonance where the characters know what they are doing is inhumane and awful, that they are treating "the meat" horrible, but it's their job, what are they going to do, and at the same time they feel it crosses a line whenever someone call "the meat" human or are even beyond inhumane when someone says the meat "have a good life" because they get treated as studs. Also, like in general, I feel all of them miss the part about this author being argentine and thus how that colors their vision of how the industry works. The biggest industry in all of the argentina, the one that gave us any kind of possibility to survive in this world, was the meat industry, we actually fucking need it because we have nothing else to offer, and yet, all the powerful people who are involved with the meat industry in this work are all foreigners: a japanese man who collects skin of people and threatens his employees with skinning them alive, a gringo, that is literally called gringo, and a german man who is to utterly dettached that has no issue calling "the meat" human and also make inhumane comments about them. At that point is very obvious to me that this isn't about just criticizing an industry, but criticizing a system to whome the industries are merely a reflection of. It's not about the world, it's about a country being so set on their old ways and traditions that are literally willing to eat each other if it means having a foot in the outside world. Because otherwise we have fucking nothing. And this ALREADY fuck us over in the real world. The protagonist is literally the representation of that! He literally asks himself why he keeps working on this shit if it makes him miserable? Because he is the best at it, because he gets paid and he needs the money. CAPITALISM ALL THE WAY DOWN, BABY. Like, the meat food industry is bad, but also think about why they are bad and why the powerful people want it to be bad in the first place. Like, the books says that indigenous, immigrants and other POCs are the first humans to being eaten. The poor and elderly. Why do you all think that is?? Like, I just generally do not understand how you can read that and come out thinking "this person just wants me to be vegan and I don't like that"/"this person doesn't criticize the food industry", like I am a very fucking firm believer that vegans who spend every breath trying to make you vegan are shit and just eat whatever, but even I got that it was meant as something else than that. And how people keep saying that the ending "comes out of nowhere" when it's literally foreshadowed at the beggining at the book while doing the world building? Were you even paying attention at all at that point? Like, I literally saw someone being "I think this book overstimates how much it would take for the world to be okay with cannibalism", like THAT IS NOT THE POINT. The point is not to write "how it's a world where human meat is mandatory", but rather explore the idea in which the way we ALREADY eat each other gets taken to it's extreme. LITERALLY WHAT ALL DISTOPIA FICTION DOES?? Anyway, again, I might change my mind when I finish the work myself, but even by reading the start myself and knowing a bit about the background of this author, I just do not get any of these reviews at all.

[yuurei20]

Riddle Info Compilation part 16: Riddle and Floyd (pt 1)

Floyd calls Riddle “goldfish-chan” because “he’s red and tiny and unsavory”, on EN, but this explanation is a little different in his actual dialogue, where he says “食べるところなさそう”, which is something closer to “it doesn’t look like there is any part of him you could eat,” i.e. there is no meat on his bones (when translated literally).

Riddle has repeatedly expressed disapproval of the name.

Jade has a line about Floyd causing “a bit of a stir” at their orientation, and Vil says that Floyd and Riddle “have been at each other’s throats ever since orientation."

During Beanfest, we learn what happened: Floyd explains that Riddle used magic to blast him through the air at their orientation. “All I did was razz him a little, and he just SNAPPED…next thing I knew, there I was, laid out on the floor. Jade burst out laughing when he saw me.”

During preparations for a party Trey tells Riddle, “I have noticed Floyd following you around a lot lately, with that big grin on his face.”

Riddle says that he pleaded with Jade to keep Floyd out of Heartslabyul for the day, and “just thinking about Floyd irritates me.”

Floyd spends the entirety of a vignette teasing Riddle, asking him to “chit-chat” instead of study.

Riddle refuses, and Floyd offers to escort him to the book he is looking for instead. The book is revealed to be on a high shelf, but Riddle insists upon finding a stool rather than ask for Floyd’s help. Floyd boxes Riddle in (“My arm just needed a little stretch is all”) and ultimately runs away with the book, encouraging Riddle to chase after him.

In exasperation Riddle asks what it is that he has done for Floyd to treat him as he does and Floyd suddenly stops, passing him the book and wandering away. Riddle reflects, “I can’t tell if I upset him, or if that was yet another one of his mood swings.”

We see Riddle and Floyd interact for the first time in the main story during Book 2 when Riddle expresses displeasure in getting anywhere near either twin, but “especially Floyd.” The group resorts to running away from them, with Riddle explaining that the twins have baffled him ever since he enrolled at NRC.

(This scene includes some confusing additions/changes to dialogue on EN to make it sound like it is taking place at Octavinelle, when the characters are standing in the courtyard. This is unique to the EN adaptation.)

Floyd and Riddle overlap again, briefly, in Book 4, when Floyd teases a depressed Riddle about staying at the school for the holidays. Riddle assures him that that is the last thing he needs, but Trey points out that, after arguing with Floyd, Riddle at least “got his moxie back.”

This is not the only instance of Floyd inadvertently (?) being of help by harassing Riddle: he also teases Riddle about being so cold he might turn blue. Riddle turns red with rage, successfully distracting him from the cold of the night during Vargas Camp, and Floyd says he is glad that Riddle has warmed up.

[velveteen-hajime]

Adonis Otogari and Microaggressions in Ensemble Stars

So, I'm sure you've all seen the most recent Adonis card. It's very pretty, it's got frills and other cute things Don isn't usually seen in...

...However, I'm sure at least some of you also noticed he's a bit on the pale side here when compared to other cards.

Why is this? Why would he be drawn noticeably lighter here and not other times? Well, one could imagine it has something to do with colorism.

Like I said before, Adonis isn't usually seen like this. The one time he's not shirtless for no reason or wearing something culturally insensitive, he suddenly looks paler.

Adonis is portrayed as "exotic" and "sexy" a lot of the time (which, if it wasn't already weird to do that with your only brown character, he's also 17, so...) and all those times, he's noticeably brown.

It's been a long standing stereotype that brown skin doesn't fit "cute" or "pretty" aesthetics. That those are for light skinned people, and light skinned people only.

Within the story itself presents another issue. In the story, Adonis goes to a flea market with Hajime. Adonis wants to sell a doll from his childhood, and has no luck until a little girl shows up.

(I'd like to specify I'm not a translator so I'm not 100% sure myself on what is exactly said, but this is going off what I read in the TL I read) The little girl tugs on Hajime to get his attention, because she's afraid to approach someone "as big" as Adonis.

This is something present in multiple enstars stories that feature Adonis. They even use Aira as a mouthpiece for this, a character who is not only supposed to be a fan of Undead, but a character who should also know what it's like to be made fun of for being mixed, as Aira was made fun of for having a half french mom when he was younger. Adonis is spoken about and described as if he's this huge, hulking monster of a boy, and he's just terrifying to look at, but is he? No.

I said on my Twitter just the other day, that every so often enstars will try to make a point about how people like Adonis are treated, but they fail because the point always comes across more as "he might seem scary but he's a really nice guy, don't judge a book by it's cover!" rather than what it should be, which is "there's nothing particularly scary about Adonis, people just demonize brown/black people for the color of their skin."

Now, you'll notice there seems to be a bit of a focus on how "big" Adonis is. How tall is he? About 5'10", which is about as tall as the tallest Ensemble Stars characters are. Adonis is around the same height as Midori, Eichi, Keito, the other members of Undead, etc. If people being afraid of him was really all about his size, you think we'd hear about it more from characters other than him. But, it seems like a topic very focused on him.

Now this isn't just a cover for characters being frightened by him for the color of his skin, the focus on Adonis being "big" when he's the same height as all the other tall characters in enstars is reminiscent of another stereotype. The "big black man" stereotype. Stereotypes about brown and black men don't just portray them as threatening creatures, but as LARGE threatening creatures. This stereotype of black men being very "big" and tall is not just a stereotype used for portraying us as a threat, but it's also seen in the oversexualization of black men.

This isn't just present in the narrative or said by other characters, but it's said by Adonis himself. A moment that comes to mind is a time where he refers to Mitsuru (and the other members of Ra*bits), as small, and talks about "protecting small creatures". Now, Mitsuru is 5'6", and the height difference between Adonis and Mitsuru is actually quite minimal.

And yet, the enstars writers feel the need to not only make other characters react to Adonis as if he's a huge scary guy, but have Adonis think that way about himself.

Like I said before, any social commentary Ensemble Stars tries to have fails when they feed into it like this. It shouldn't be "Adonis is a really nice and sweet guy despite looking scary", it should be about how he doesn't look scary at all.

Enstars wants to make good points, that much I can tell, but it contradicts itself with things like this, and that's pretty disheartening.

I mean think about it, Ensemble Stars has characters who have possibly committed murder, attempted murder, threatened other characters, carry weapons openly, are trained assassins, etc but the scariest of them all is the blasian middle eastern boy who's hobby is literally watching small animals and plays the ocarina? I mean c'mon.

[sleepingdeath-light]

s/o who moved to the neighbourhood after a car crash ; wally

requested by ; anonymous (07/05/23)

fandom(s) ; welcome home

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; wally darling

outline ; “Could I get Wally x reader where reader moves into the neighborhood after a car accident, and the two become very close. One day Wally learns that reader's family is actually pretty rich but reader didn't want anyone treating them different because of it? Also Wally finds out around Christmas time as reader's parents wanna meet Wally for Christmas”

warning(s) ; references to injuries, references to a car crash, references to hospitalisation, but mostly fluff

you moving to the neighbourhood had been less of an active choice and more of a compromise with some of your more fretful family members

you’d wanted to maintain your independence after your car accident whilst you healed

they wanted you out of the busy city where it happened (and where you lived)

so rather than move back home and be pitied 24/7 by family, friends and staff, you just barely managed to convince them to let you move away to a smaller, more rural town

you had your little bungalow that gave you full freedom to move around with your mobility aids

everything and everyone was a stone’s throw away from everything else, so there weren’t any cars (in fact the only vehicle you’d seen was a unicycle in front of one of your neighbours’ houses)

it was completely isolated from everywhere else aside from a small gravel road which, being your typical country road, was very thin, very rarely used and you only really saw deliveries being dropped off to the local grocers and the post office

so maybe one or two cars a week tops and they never came anywhere near your little home

your family were appeased, you got to keep your independence, and as an added bonus you got to move into the quaintest little neighbourhood ever

everyone was so friendly and keen to get to know you that it threw you for a loop — having come from such a large city to somewhere where everybody knows everybody it was bound to happen

but you couldn’t say that you particularly minded

eddie, the postman, was always happy to stop by and chat as he went about his rounds in the morning — he was also happy to offer any assistance if a delivery happened to be a bit too heavy or large for you to carry in on your own

howdy, the grocer, always made sure that he had what you needed in stock — even preemptively ordering things like your medications and other things you needed for the upkeep of your health (e.g. new wrappings for injuries, oil if you’re using a wheelchair with a squeaky wheel, and so on)

julie, a particularly colourful neighbour, was always happy to stop by and make you feel beautiful even when you were too worn down to even really get out of bed — keeping materials and items on her that best suit your hair texture from the moment she starts randomly dropping by

frank, a neighbour who was particularly fond of butterflies, was someone you came to appreciate because he didn’t dance around your injury and accident — he’d ask you how you were feeling or drop off some books that might apply to your situation, but he never imposed himself on you too much

poppy, a bird who lived just down the street, was always happy to come to your aid during your bad days — stopping by without a peep of complaint and cooking and baking some food for you, always making sure that you’re taken care of even when you don’t have the energy

barnaby and sally, two more neighbours that live for performance and laughter, became the highlights of your days as they would always make a point to stop by and entertain you with whatever jokes or plays they thought of — becoming part of your routine by making you smile

and they did it all without you needing to ask because they all cared so deeply for one another and for you that it was never even a question about them taking care of you

of course they weren’t overbearing, but they did make sure that you were in good spirits and good health as you healed — keeping enough of an eye out to be able to step in when you weren’t able to step up for yourself

by carrying your deliveries inside, by keeping what you need in stock, by keeping your self confidence high, by keeping you well fed, by making you smile so wide your cheeks hurt and by making you laugh so hard you’re crying

but out of all of your neighbours, one stood out the most; a blue haired painter called wally darling

though you usually just called him ‘darling’ — because you could easily get away with the pet name and because you always got a curious look from him when you did it

wally was the first one to greet you when you moved in, offering to help you put your house back together and complimenting the art pieces you’d been gifted by friends and family

he’s a painter and can appreciate the fine arts, you see — and you appreciated how friendly and conversational he was because you very quickly started to feel at home

and by the time the rest of the town had stepped in to help you organise your belongings, everyone was smiling and laughing and joking and talking like old friends — you almost forgot that you’d known them for less than a day because of it all

it really was a team effort and you smile whenever you recall the utter chaos that was your first week in the neighbourhood

howdy with his four arms carrying a pile of boxes so high that he had to shuffle through your front door on his knees — peering around the stack to smile sheepishly and ask you where everything needed to go (which took you a few moments as you needed to pick your jaw up off of the floor)

julie guiding everyone around the bungalow with the precision of an air traffic controller, using two rolls of wallpaper to ensure that everyone could see her through the mess that was your home layout

eddie and frank carefully — carefully — carrying in your sofa and your bed and placing them according to your and julie’s instructions (and dropping them on poor frank’s foot… twice)

barnaby making good use of his height and strength to bring in the remainder of your furnishings, cracking plenty of jokes along the way that had you snorting and eddie making a victim of poor frank every time he laughed

poppy making good on her promise to keep things organised and ensuring that all of your utensils and trinkets and small things ended up in the right place — leaving the home more organised than you’d ever had it

sally helping move any left over boxes from the moving van to the house all the while making a performance of it — including an impromptu recital of a shakespearean monologue whilst holding a snow globe that had cracked during shipping

wally painting and glossing your walls and cabinets throughout this whole mess, occasionally popping his head back into the main room to poke fun at everyone or to ask how everything was going

all of you dipping your hands — or paws, or wing — in paint and slapping them against the wall just above your fireplace before writing your names in your best handwriting just beneath them

a permanent reminder of your hard work and the mess you made

a mess that was definitely preferable to the weeks you spent bedbound in the hospital after being injured, feeling so very isolated and bored in the aftermath of everything you’d been through

that week was also the start of your relationship — well, at least it was when the two of you started dancing around your feelings and finding excuses to spend time with each other

wally would frequently pop by your home with a new painting or sketch that he’d made for you — getting to the point where a good portion of your house was covered with his work

you’d spend hours talking on the phone — he’d be the first one you called whenever you felt particularly low

he was the only one you divulged the full details of your accident to — thankful that he didn’t pity you or question it beyond telling you to reach out if you needed anything

you’re the only one he shares his apples with (and who gets to see his abnormal way of eating)

you’ll go out on small picnics into a nearby field and he’ll help you get up and down from the blanket, not once making a fuss or batting an eye, instead focusing on more important things like eating and watching butterflies

butterflies like the ones you felt whenever he looked at you or touched you or smiled or laughed or —

needless to say you were head over heels — and since wally was as well, it took very little time for the two of you to become an item

(with plenty of encouragement from your neighbours who were, by now, more than done with both of you tiptoeing around the obvious)

it’s safe to say that he thinks you’re the absolute most

and when the holidays come around and your family, who you haven’t really thought about beyond the occasional letter or phone call, want to stop by and visit, wally is happy to play host

he insists on going the full nine yards but compromises with you that you’ll host at your home and you’ll share the duties of decorating, cleaning and cooking

which quickly become more playful than dull because it’s you two so of course they do

and come the day of, you’re both completely prepared — even if your poor boyfriend is quietly sweating bullets and a mixture of excitement and anxiety as they pull up

and then you realise that you forgot to warn wally about your family

but it’s far too late for that as they’re already at the door and you’re already greeting them — and oh god there’s that antique necklace and that designer handbag and she’s giving his colourful outfit a strange look and wally’s noticed and he’s looking at you and oh dear…

thankfully he’s able to hide his surprise well (has his expression ever changed from that smile?) and as your folks fawn over you and your home and they bring in all of the gifts you’re only given enough time to shrug and smile apologetically before you’re both whisked away to play host

thankfully your boyfriend is an excellent public speaker and is able to charm your family enough to keep them entertained and cooperative (and stop them from invading your personal space and infantilising you) as he serves everyone the meal you’d prepared

by the time he’s sat down beside you and you’re all digging in to the feast you’d made, you’re able to relax because your relatives all clearly adore him

they ask him about the neighbourhood and his job and your relationship — all of which he answers tactfully and politely before moving on with questions of his own

and when the time comes to open your presents (including some generic gifts they’d bought wally as a measure of politeness), your fear of being perceived differently has practically faded away

you’re sat on the sofa, he’s holding your hand in his own, and your family are bickering amongst themselves amongst an ocean of wrapping paper and presents worth half a mortgage but it feels like home — and whilst he does give you a bit of a funny look, he assures you quietly that he gets it

he just would have appreciated a bit of fair warning about it — which is understandable

and you don’t know why you ever doubted your silly little blue haired boyfriend for a moment

he really is the absolute most

[jigglypuff1994]

Okay, so, I'm sorry if this idea has already been put out there, but I love the idea of post Monarch, young LadyNoir going to Disney.

Hear me out.

Chat Noir booked the flights, took care of the hotels and transportation while they're there. And Ladybug is absolutely stunned because like how can he afford to do this? And Chat is just being cheeky like 'tehehe I have my ways'.

Even though Chat and LB were offered a free day at Disney, Chat Noir insists that he should pay to experience just like everyone else, and since he can afford it, he pays for everything. Ladybug doesn't know that he's absolutely loaded so she's just confounded every time he pulls out hundred-dollar bills as if it was something everyone did.

Ladybug would be scrambling constantly to ensure she and Chat do every. possible. activity. Like they rope-dropped at 7am. LB's absolutely losing her mind on Genie+ and has done hundreds of hours of research watching Youtubers and reading every blogger and tips and tricks guide out there to ensure the one day they have together is undeniably picture perfect.

At some point, Chat Noir talks to Ladybug and tells her gently to chill out, she is finally able to relax and realizes how magical the experience is.

Chat Noir proceeds to stuff his face with anything Mickey-shaped: pretzels, ice cream bars, caramel apples, rice crispy treats, everything Mickey shaped. While having no concern for his figure because they're walking a million steps anyways.

Ladybug takes so many pictures and a video when Chat Noir meets his favorite Disney character, Rapunzel. Chat becomes absolutely giddy and beside himself. Him and Rapunzel talk about what it's like to be locked away in a castle and preoccupying themselves with all their indoor activities while dealing with manipulative parent figures, and Ladybug tilts her head for a moment because why does that sound so familiar.

Ladybug is put on edge every time fans want photos with them. She anxiously smiles too wide because she's stressed that her and Chat might not make it from Tomorrowland to Frontierland in 3 minutes time. Chat, who is aware how stressed his lady is, has to nicely remind their fans that they have a scheduled itinerary that Ladybug is absolutely *not* budging on.

Chat suggests that he and LB use the rooftops to get around rather than walking. LB lights up immediately because why didn't she think of that earlier!

Chat insists on taking a selfie with Ladybug in front of the Cinderella castle, and Ladybug sneaks a quick cheek kiss. This is the only cute photo where Chat is stunned and doesn't have his large, toothy smile. That photo ends up being Ladybug's favorite of the hundreds they took together that day because reasons.

To end their day, they sit on top of the Main Street rooftop above Tony's, eating spaghetti and meatballs like Lady and the Tramp because LB will always be 'His Lady', and he rolls the meatball over with his nose to recreate the movie while Ladybug rolls her eyes, gives him a small smile and scratches behind his ears. They cuddle in close while listening to 'When You Wish Upon a Star,' and the view is breathtaking as they watch the fireworks and lightshow on the castle.

Just a cute, magical day at Disney.

[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol. 182 (Autumn 2023) Kamen Rider Gaim 10th Anniversary Commemorative Book: Muso Interview with Series Producer and Designers (other pages and translations below)

Publication: October 2, 2023

Producer Takebe Naomi Interview

-Recruitment of Main Writer Urobuchi Gen-

"One of the major points of Kamen Rider Gaim, was the recruitment of Urobuchi Gen-san as the main writer, someone who's worked on video games and anime."

Takebe: That's right. Looking back, I'm amazed that he was able to do it. Currently, due to Urobuchi-san's schedule, I think it'd be difficult to have him on for a whole year, so I think it was a very important year for us.

"What were some of the characteristics of Urobuchi's scripts?"

Takebe: The dialogue was heavy, wasn't it? Each one was long and contained difficult expressions. Also, I remember saying something like, "New actors can't speak more than 3 lines" (laughs), but the choice of words in their dialogue was amazing, so I don't think it would've made a big difference even if they were made alittle shorter.

"Speaking of which, in an interview at the time, you said, "I’ve learned to write shorter lines after working on Kamen Rider Gaim" (laughs). We think it was also adventurous for you to treat dance as one of the important themes that make up the show."

Takebe: In the beginning, that was the initial setting by both Urobuchi-san, and Director (Ryuta) Tasaki, who was in charge of the pilot, and it made me think, "Wow, this is an area I'm not familiar with" (laughs). It wouldn't have been a problem if it was an anime, but as a live action show, the cast has to practice, and it's time consuming to film them dancing, so it was very difficult.

"Come to think of it, the flow of the story until the end of the show was already decided in the beginning."

Takebe: From the world of the kids on the dance team, to the adult world……the interactions with Takatora and the others, and then learning the truth from them, was all set up like chapters. When I met with Director Tasaki and Urobuchi-san for the second time, we had notes on the overall flow of the show, which was roughly divided into four parts. The final setting was established, and it ended up being almost unchanged, so it was a new experience for me because I hadn't worked in that way before. Usually, I think about what to do next while working on a show (laughs).

-Impact of the fruit armor-

"In contrast to the serious and hard hitting storyline depicted by Urobuchi-san, we think the catchy appeal of the fruit themed Kamen Rider characters were a key point of the show. The transformation sequence where the fruit falls from above, covers their heads, and transforms into their armor left a great impact."

Takebe: Since it's fruit, the colors are vibrant. The design is very interesting, and the characters stand out from the outside. I think the fruit were incorporated very well, including the gimmick of putting it on the head and having it expand into armor. However, you wouldn't know Baron is a banana if you weren't told, and Gaim is an orange, but we still tried to create a cool Rider image.

"We think that the tasteful styles of armor incorporating Japanese, Western and Chinese, also contributed greatly to expressing the individuality of the characters."

Takebe: That was a last minute differentiation. If you change the armor with a form change, you lose the identity of the character, or rather, the more you change the armor, the more you'll lose track of what makes Gaim look like Gaim. That being the case, we decided to classify the armor, with Gaim being a Japanese style, Baron in a Western style, and Ryugen in a Chinese style. Also, we decided not to lend or borrow armor to anyone other than Gaim. It might be better to play with toys by using armor that can be used by alot of characters, but that would make it hard to tell who's who.

"It was also interesting that the Lockseed transformation item had a lock motif."

Takebe: As an item, I think we made the locks very cool and cute. It's just the right size, with a nice fit in the hand, and a slightly responsive weight. In fact, I'm glad to hear that the Lockseed toys sold well.

"What other Riders or items were particularly memorable to you?"

Takebe: The introduction of the adult team (new generation Riders) who transform with the Genesis Driver. It was nice to have a group of 4 Riders on the enemy side. The bow weapon (Sonic Arrow) was also cool, and the production of Kanada Osamu's team (episode 12), which appeared for the first time, was also good. Apparently the Genesis Driver sold well, which when you think about it, is amazing, considering it's the enemy's Belt.

-A wide range of casting oddities-

"As a multi Rider show, many characters appeared, so what did you pay special attention to when casting?"

Takebe: Rather than conducting a general audition like we usually do, we called on potential candidates, and narrowed our selections considerably. The dialogue written by Urobuchi-san is difficult, so we were thinking of someone with experience rather than a total newcomer. For one of the main actors, (Yuki) Kubota-san, he was a good choice. We had an interview with him, and I think it was more like casting, rather than an audition.

"So the cooperation between the new cast members, who played the main roles, and the supporting cast of skilled actors, helped to create the multi Rider story, huh?"

Takebe: I think that Producer Mochizuki's casting of Namioka Kazuki-san, Yoshida Metal-san, as well as other adults were well balanced. (Tsukui) Minami-san and (Aoki) Tsunenori-kun were also casted rather than auditioning, but I think the casting of the 4 new generation Riders really worked well together. It was abit of an adult world, in contrast to the childish world of the main characters. So, when I think about it now, it was interesting to see the wide range of ages, and the unique characters played by everyone, including the young cast members. Of course, that was created by Urobuchi-san, so I can only say that I'm very impressed with him.

"According to Suit Actor Takaiwa Seiji-san, Gaku Sano-san, who plays the leading role is, "The most mobile of all the leading Rider actors in history," and he showed off his pre transformation action moves, taking advantage of his physical strength."

Takebe: That's right. The Action Director, Ishigaki Hirofumi-san, incorporated alot of action. Gaim had many episodes by Director Kaneda (who came from an action background), so that may have been one of the highlights of Gaim.

"Overall, we think the casting was fascinating."

Takebe: I think Urobuchi-san also enjoyed that part. By working with real life actors, things will gradually change. Actually, I think that the character of Mitsuzane changed quite abit. Mitsuzane was played by Takasugi Mahiro-kun.

"At first, you had planned to have Mitsuzane leave the show with 3 months left. However, as he was writing the story, Urobuchi-san thought, "Isn't it wrong to have Mitsuzane disappear?," so he changed the direction of the story."

Takebe: It's similar to Isuzu Daichi of "Geats," where people like that are allowed to be in a world where everyone can be happy. So, I wasn't aware of it, and I don't think Takahashi Yuya (Geats's Director) has watched Gaim either, but I thought Gaim and Geats were similar. For example, with Gridon, we thought about, "Wanting to make a lock from a nut instead of a fruit," so we'd say, "Then let's also make a nut Rider," but Geats also has small buckles including hammers, don't they? It started with the idea of creating a buckle made of wood or stone, so we were thinking the same thing, just like Urobuchi-san had already done before (laughs). I thought of this when I was rereading books related to Gaim for this interview. I didn't remember much about it while I was working on Geats, but I thought it was following a similar path. It's also the same that he becomes a god in the end (laughs).

-Various developments due to multiple Riders-

"Overall, what was the most memorable episode of Gaim?"

Takebe: After the TV series ended, we did two V-Cinemas (Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron and Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle). It was impressive. When I was working on "OOO", I was approached to produce a V-Cinema version of "W", but I turned it down because I thought at the time that a spin off of Ankh, for example, would never be possible. However, I decided to work on Gaim just in case there were people who were looking forward to it, and all of them turned out to be impressive works. One of my favorites among them is "Kamen Rider Knuckle." Of all the Gaiden stories, Knuckle is the only one that takes place after the conclusion of the TV series. It's a positive story that continues into the future, and it's still one of my favorites.

"We think the key to Gaim's success was that it had so many sub Rider characters and was so popular that side stories were made. As a result, 6 years after the main show ended, a spin off featuring Gridon and Bravo (Kamen Rider Gaiden: Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo) was distributed."

Takebe: During the second Gaiden, we were talking about whether to use Knuckle, Gridon, or Bravo, and we decided on Knuckle, but Metal-san commented something like, "Hmm~, I wasn't chosen." When I heard that, I was surprised to see that he was so eager to work with us (laughs). In that sense, I'm glad I was able to do something I had left undone.

"As a project unique to Gaim, the year before Gridon vs. Bravo, a stage play adaptation was also produced with Zangetsu as the lead role."

Takebe: That was made possible when Nitroplus told us that they wanted to turn it into a stage play, but I do agree that it's something that doesn't happen very often. The casting was done by Nelke Planning, and it was great to meet such charming cast members, such as Mashiko Atsuki-kun (Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger) and Goto Dai-kun (Kamen Rider Zi-O), who would later be cast in other productions. The screenplay and direction by Mori Nobuhiro-san was also very good, and the idea of retracing the story of Gaim in a setting where Takatora has lost his memory is very appropriate for reconstructing Gaim on stage. I think it was an extremely rare success story in that Kubota-kun's Zangetsu was able to successfully tell Gaim's story in a way that was truly unique and without the original cast.

-Looking back on Gaim-

"Looking back on it like this, it was a show that covered many different topics. There were also many collaborations with other works. There was a history of collaborations with Super Sentai (Ressha Sentai ToQger Vs. Kamen Rider Gaim Spring Vacation Combining Special), and even Kikaider appeared in the TV series (Episode 30: The Red and Blue Kikaider) in conjunction with the "Kikaider Reboot" film."

Takebe: There was also a film (Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai) where all the Kamen Riders gathered. That's when the number of Showa Riders (Kamen Rider Ichigo-Kamen Rider J) and Heisei's main Riders (Kamen Rider Kuuga-Kamen Rider Gaim) were the same (15). I think it was created as a result of hearing about it from the staff, and conveying it to Shinichiro Shirakura. Actors who have played Kamen Rider in the past, including Fujioka Hiroshi-san also appeared in the film….It was certainly a work that did alot of different things. We had a cooking showdown as a bonus video for the TV series, and since we had multiple Riders, we had a large cast, so we were able to do alot of different things. That's why I remember the event being so popular. As an artist, I think I appeared at the "Super Hero Festival (Kamen Rider x Super Sentai Live & Show)" 2 years in a row (2014-2015). Kobayashi Yutaka-kun and Shida Yumi-chan, who were active as idol artists, were good at talking, so the final stage was very lively. And then, Sano-kun cried through the whole thing. He was crying for the very first time, and we all said, "Eh? This is the first time?" (laughs). But, I felt that he had worked very hard for that whole year.

"We've reached the end. Now that 10 years have passed, we'd like you to look back on Kamen Rider Gaim and say a few words."

Takebe: It was great to work with Urobuchi-san and to be able to challenge myself in various ways, including with V-Cinema. The content was abit challenging and mature, but I think Rider is able to pull these things off well in a Rider like way. Of course, it's good to have a work where each episode is complete. However, I think it's good to have this kind of show once in a while. Personally, I like Taiga dramas, and I think it's something that can only be done in a production that lasts for a year. Looking back, it's been a long time since we've had multi Riders. Currently, it's not unusual to have a large number of Riders, but it was interesting to see the development that came from having a large number of Riders, and in that sense, I think Gaim has expanded the variety of the series. Urobuchi-san and Nitroplus also found it interesting to work on Kamen Rider for the first time, and I think it was a truly valuable and interesting show that'll never be replicated again.

Designers Tanaka Sojiro x Tsurumaki Takuya Interviews

"A year after the TV series ended, the spinoffs, "Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron" and, "Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle," were released as V-Cinemas, featuring new forms of the main Kamen Rider's from each title and many new villain Riders, but basically, they're recolored existing suits to create clever variations."

Tsurumaki: Gaim was originally a multi Rider series, so you can change the color of the forms in an infinite number of combinations (laughs). However, the inner suit is tied to the identity of the person, or rather, to the one transforming, so when it comes to a new form, we did them according to Gaim's rules, that you can change the color of the armor to some extent, but not the base.

"Zangetsu's Watermelon Arms (Kamen Rider Zangetsu) is a successful way of turning Melon Arms into a Watermelon by just recoloring it."

Tsurumaki: I think it was quite the discovery to make them look like other fruits just by repainting them. For Zangetsu, we used a melon pattern and painted it with a watermelon pattern to give it a completely different appearance. Everyone has their own impression of the fruit, so we were able to successfully create it by working backwards from that impression. In that sense, I think it's more meaningful to recolor in Gaim than in other series. That's why, because it's that fruit, it's that color.

"What about Kamen Rider Idunn (Kamen Rider Zangetsu) and Baron's new form (Kamen Rider Baron), both using Ringo Arms?"

Tanaka: In the beginning, we thought of using an apple as a Lockseed because it was a "forbidden fruit," but we couldn't find the right time to use apples, so we decided to use it in the film (Kamen Rider Gaim: Great Soccer Battle! Golden Fruits Cup), and Kamen Rider Mars and Kamen Rider Kamuro finally used apples. However, Toei still wanted to use the apple in the form of a "forbidden fruit," so it was decided that the apple would once again appear in Gaiden.

"Kamen Rider Tyrant (Kamen Rider Baron) has a design that's unpleasant to look at."

Tsurumaki: That's true (laughs). We first used dragon fruit in the film (Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle), but even before that, it was a fruit that we wanted to use. The shape is distinct and the colors are flashy. So I'm glad that we were able to use them in the film and also in Gaiden. They also released a figure of Duke's Dragon Energy Arms (laughs).

"The second wave of Gaiden was "Kamen Rider Duke" and "Kamen Rider Knuckle."

Tanaka: Duke is a new generation Rider who transforms with the Genesis Driver, right? However, Gaiden (Kamen Rider Duke) was a story that also depicts the past, so we thought there should be a previous version of Duke, so we designed Duke as a Rider who uses the same lemon Lockseed as Lemon Energy Arms and transforms with the Sengoku Driver.

"In "Kamen Rider Duke," the villain Kamen Rider Saver has a unique design."

Tanaka: Definitely, when I saw it, I thought that we made something amazing (laughs).

"Since it's called Blood Pomegranate Arms, the association of Pomegranate and Blood (Orange) makes it one of the most sinister in the series."

Tsurumaki: It gives off a dangerous image (laughs). As a slightly irregular villain, he does alot of things that go against Gaim's design rules.

"Also, in "Kamen Rider Knuckle," you designed Black Baron as a color change of Baron (Banana Arms) with the other being Knuckle Jimber Marron Arms."

Tsurumaki: Knuckle was originally going to be Walnut, right? How did he become Marron?

Tanaka: Wasn't it to group him up with other nuts?

"We think the fact that Knuckle's signature fist weapon as a chestnut burr also left an impact."

Tsurumaki: That's true. And, it has a two layered structure where the burrs peel off, and the gloves come out (laughs).

"After that, in 2019, "Stage Play: Kamen Rider Zangetsu Gaim Gaiden" was performed, and a new form of Zangetsu appeared."

Tsurumaki: It was designed by Tanaka-san, right?

Tanaka: That's right. Since I was the person who designed Zangetsu, I was asked by the leader of the Rider team at the time. It was decided that the Zangetsu would be powered up with Kachidoki Arms, so we rearranged Zangetsu as Kachidoki.

"The following year, Gaiden (Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo)" was revived as a miniseries, with Gridon and Bravo unexpectedly playing the main roles."

Tanaka: Come to think of it, Bravo (Durian Arms) was the first Rider designed by Tsurumaki, right?

Tsurumaki: The first Rider I worked on was Kamen Rider Sorcerer in the film "Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land," but I think Bravo might've been the first Rider I worked on as a regular TV character. I also worked on Knuckle and the Black Shadow Troopers in Gaim, so I think it was one of them.

"Bravo's King Dorian Arms is basically just a recolor, but the addition of the cape was a major one. By the way, the cape played an important role later in the series."

Tsurumaki: That's right. It's a cape that looks quite evil.

Tanaka: If you want to make something look evil, just add a cape (laughs).

Tsurumaki: An all purpose evil cape (laughs).

"What about Gridon's Lychee Arms?"

Tanaka: That was an issue.

Tsurumaki: Should we talk about it? (laughs).

Tanaka: I originally designed Gridon (Donguri Arms), so I'm very attached to it. The design of a Kamen Rider is completed after receiving opinions from different people, but for Gridon, I was able to quickly draw it from the beginning and get the OK immediately. I was so attached to it, that I even named my cat "Guri" after Gridon, and when I heard that Gridon would be the main character in the next new production, I suggested 2 rough patterns that I would've liked to have used. However, after that, a rough draft that Tsurumaki had drawn the day before the meeting was added, and that ended up being used (laughs).

Tsurumaki: At the time, I was on assignment at Bandai, and when I looked at the design proposal that Tanaka-san sent me the evening before the meeting, it looked like a samurai, or rather, Japanese styled, but didn't Gridon use a Western style? (laughs).

Tanaka: I intended to include a Western styled design, but it didn't work out (laughs).

Tsurumaki: So, I added one Western styled proposal and it was chosen…..(laughs).

Tanaka: Well, it was frustrating, but when I saw Tsurumaki's design later, I thought for sure that it would be chosen (laughs).

"We see (laughs). By the way, what are some of the design points of Lychee Arms?"

Tsurumaki: There were very few fruits left that we didn't already use. So, I thought that the only way to make this work was to take advantage of the base of Gridon's armor, and thought about what fruits I could apply to it, and by process of elimination, I settled on lychee. Also, since Gridon isn't that strong, I think I designed it based on how I could make him look strong while still retaining Gridon's armor.

"What about the other one that appeared, Kamen Rider Sylphi?"

Tsurumaki: When we first received the concept, we were told it'd be a female Rider, and that it'd be a good idea to use the fruit of the Helheim Forest as a way of presenting the Lockseed, which would probably be the final one of the series. So we decided to design a new Lockseed, not a recolor, and Bandai decided to commercialize it with a new mold. The design of the Rider itself is reminiscent of a witch who presides over Helheim.

"However, even after the show ended, you continued to design quite a few Riders."

Tsurumaki: That's true. It's not so unusual these days, but I think it was the first time I've drawn so many variations.

Tanaka: Rather, I think that Gaim was the catalyst for the spin offs that became the norm after the main show ends, and for the trend of designing many Rider variations.

Tsurumaki: In Gaim, the Rider transformation itself was the system that easily created variations, so I think that was a big deal too.

Tanaka: I think it was a good idea to create a format where the body and armor can be switched around.

Tsurumaki: It's like a puzzle (laughs).

"Finally, please look back at Gaim's design works and say a few words."

Tanaka: I've participated in a few Kamen Rider projects, but Gaim is the only one I worked on from start to finish, so I have particularly strong feelings for it. Gridon was initially intended to be a mass produced Rider, but when I saw the actual situation, I was glad to see that they made him into a proper character…..This is a story about Gridon, not Gaim (laughs).

Tsurumaki: Today was alot of fun looking back on Gaim after such a long time. Like the Lychee Arms stuff (laughs).

Tanaka: I still hold that in my heart (laughs).

[dee-in-the-box]

thinking.

thinking about Dave and his thoughts on Jack pre-Everything (in my headcanons, obviously)

like, the way i view Jack pre-Dee's Murder is that he's still rather blunt and rude, but he could still be rather sweet to others when he wanted. like the whole "kind, but not nice" type of thing.

(also, note that Dave mentioned, while talking to Dee, that he was never fine with Henry murdering her, and that he even tried to talk Henry out of doing it. there's also a Henry Tape where Dave sounds like he regrets what had happened to Dee, mentioning to Henry that he "knew this was a bad idea," and even sounding like he doesn't agree with them framing Jack for the crime. all in all, it's one of the few times we get to hear Dave go "Henry, I don't like what we're doing, and I don't feel comfortable helping you with this." so me writing Dave in this to regret Dee's murder and be generally uncomfortable with what's happening is not technically out of character.)

(this also turned into a bit of a fic whoops-)

thinking about Dave deciding to talk to Jack because...well, he seems kind of approachable. if a little...blunt at times.

he didn't hesitate to talk to Dave about whatever while he worked on animatronics. sometimes it was just complaints about his coworkers from other jobs, sometimes it was his past.

but a lot of the time it was about his siblings. he spoke rather highly of them, especially his sister.

Jack was oddly concerned about him, and the sheer number of scars that littered his body. he was nice to Dave, treated him like an actual human and not a freak (Jack would "jokingly" laugh it off when Dave would bring it up, saying something along the lines of "Well, I mean, a lot of people consider me to be a bit of a freak too, so I guess I understand a bit, man." Dave tries to ignore the sadness in his eyes as he says that, about how it's clear that Jack's had that particular insult slung at him more than once himself, albeit for...different reasons than Dave).

Dave will admit...maybe he got a bit infatuated.

Jack certainly didn't hesitate to let people know what he thought, that was for sure. as Dave had noted early on, he was blunt. he didn't even have much restraint with Henry, his boss. sure, he never said anything that would get him fired, but there were times where you could've convinced Dave that he stepped right up to that line.

sure, Dave could understand a bit why Henry might not have been particularly fond of Jack.

it was when Henry brought up killing Dee that Dave had tried putting his foot down a bit. he tried bringing up every excuse in the book (besides legality, because Henry clearly didn't care about that at this point) to keep Henry from doing it: they wouldn't have a place to hide the third body, Dave was worried about getting cold feet (definitely not because he'd grown close to Jack. definitely not), but, most of all, because it was likely going to piss Jack the FUCK off.

(it had come up during a conversation one afternoon.

"So, Old Sport...you said you were willing to die for your sister once-"

"Oh, fuck yeah, I'd give my life for her's in a heartbeat, Will."

"And...what if someone ever tried to hurt her, like seriously hurt her-?"

He didn't even hesitate.

"I'd tear them limb from limb where they stand.")

Dave had hoped that Henry would've dropped it by the next day.

he definitely didn't.

(Dave had to restrain her while Henry tried killing her. it took a while, given that she kept kicking right at Henry's arms, scratching and biting him. she didn't go down easy, that was for certain.

Dave kept telling Henry not to do this, that he couldn't do this. can't they just threaten her not to say anything? they don't have to kill her. c'mon Henry, please-)

they took her scarf. Jack said that their mom had made it for her before she and their father died. even Dave felt a little bad about that.

Jack came back that evening, and he started looking around for her. Dave couldn't help but feel pure guilt over what had happened. he had to console Jack as he ran around the restaurant, screaming for his sister, saying things like "C'mon Dee, this isn't funny! Come out, Kiddo!" and "Dee? Dee?! Where are you, please!" he had to console Jack during a breakdown where the only words Jack was able to get out through his sobs were "Peter's gonna fucking kill me." he couldn't help but feel shame, remorse as he was practically forced to lie to Jack's face, saying "We'll find her, I'm sure she's alright."

they sent Jack home for a few days, just to process his grief. Dave continued to do his job. it felt like his guilt was eating him alive over those few days.

(he feels eyes on him. he hears whispers. he notices the animatronics getting aggressive. things are moving around.)

Jack comes back, eye bags darker, his eyes still red from crying, but with a determined look on his face. he's rather short with Henry, clearly suspicious of him, but he goes off to do his job.

Dave never sees him...alive after that.

Henry acts weird after that. the hauntings get worse.

after a few days, he decides to finally confront Henry about everything. to try and put his foot down once more.

it doesn't work. but he does learn a few more things.

Henry's building a vessel for Dee. and Jack is dead.

they're framing him for murder.

Dave tries to protest; this isn't what he wants!

Henry shushes him again.

"You wanted this."

Dave goes back to talk with the cops. he still doesn't like this.

Henry promises to show him what happened to Jack later that night.

and when the restaurant closes that evening, Henry tries to take him back to show him after they waited for a bit in the office to make sure that Fredbear and Springbonnie wouldn't move too much and potentially kill one of them. they did hear some movement, but it didn't last long. Henry tries to take him to the Saferoom to show him Jack's resting place.

the suit's empty.

Dave doesn't think he's ever seen Henry legitimately scared before. they both head out into the dining room, where they discover something they failed to notice earlier, and probably the source of the noise.

a trail of blood across the tile floor, leading to the door, where the trail turns into footprints.

it doesn't seem like Jack's dead anymore.

Dave doesn't remember much after that, just that he must've taken a nap or something and woken up sometime around 5:30 in the morning.

(why does his head hurt?)

Henry seems annoyed, taking Dave outside to look at something.

Henry's car has been scratched by someone, the word "LIAR" scratched into the door, and the windshield smashed. it was Jack, it had to be.

Henry had apparently also caught Dee, and put the Puppet on strings. something of which really seemed to piss her off.

(that thing kept staring right into his soul, almost shaking in rage at the sight of him. he keeps his distance)

Peter sued them at one point, and also won. Dave doesn't like thinking about it much, it brings The Guilt back up.

over the years, he felt his mind get more and more scrambled. he felt less remorse, and...even a little bit of his memories got screwed up.

he didn't recognize the name "Jack Kennedy" anymore (oh, but Jack can sure recognize him).

at some point, Henry either vanished or died, Dave's not sure which, and he was left alone again.

but...it wouldn't be for long.

(Colorado. Dave heard the Saferoom door open, and he turned to see...an orange man, no, a zombie.

he can help Dave with his plan!

"Hello there, Old Sport!"

in that moment, for a reason Dave can't understand, the new employee looks at him with a look that can only be described as a mix of annoyance, mild fear, and...pity.

...wait.

why does he look so...familiar?

has Dave met him before?)

[mdhwrites]

The Glyphs in The Owl House Are Bad

And that is across the board and not an overstatement. I think as magic, thematic elements, character devices, narrative devices, etc. they are just bad across the board and their fundamental issues are actually pretty glaring from even S1.

Let’s start with simply their most basic narrative purpose: They are Luz’s magic. They are what allow Luz to be a witch in this setting. As such, their number one element to the narrative is to reinforce Luz’s arc of becoming a witch and everything that might mean. This also includes her ability to make friends, her becoming a better person and maturing. The show ends by celebrating that she will continue to be a witch after all so this is the main point of her character. She wants to be a witch, this allows her to be a witch.

And... Only in that it allows Luz to cast magic does it succeed. But as far as giving her an arc of magical growth? It’s dog shit. We never see Luz experimenting or practicing with her glyphs. The closest we get to that is her stating that off screen she was experimenting with glyph combos. The only ones we see that are failures are ones she copied from a book. We have to entirely her word for it. As for working for her glyphs... Nope to that either. The first glyph is obtained right after she admits that she should treat King as an actual person and not as a novelty, the second one is gained while she has literally nothing to do in time out besides stargaze so instead of learning the world has magic by, I dunno, appreciating the beauty of the Isles and its inhabitants, she only agrees with the lesson because the stars told her her next spell. The plant one is a blink and you’ll miss it moment at the beginning of Grom (put a pin in that) where a flower literal opens up in her face to give it to her. Then in Wing it Like Witches, the fire glyph almost literally drops into her lap.

How about the glyphs having anything to do with her character arc? Well, the plant glyph happens literally before she can learn anything that episode and while she’s still actively avoiding telling her mom the truth. The fire glyph is much more set in motion by Luz not caring about Willow’s wishes and challenging Boscha to a fight rather than being a reward for her taking responsibility for her actions or deciding to not force her friends to do something they don’t want to. Luz still takes at least another four episodes to start actually trying to understand/empathize with King, so The Intruder and the light glyph fails and as for the ice glyph? Well, The Intruder also had moral lessons about listening to Eda and not taking shortcuts for power. In Adventure in the Elements, Luz refuses to listen to Eda and fucks up while trying to get a shortcut to power.

*eye twitch* So yeah, as far as the glyphs go with Luz becoming a better person, that’s not a part of them. Neither for the combos since they’re always introduced at the start of an episode, even during one where she’s off her rocker at the beginning and actively refusing to tell anyone the truth so, you know... Kind of the opposite of rewarding good behavior.

Worse yet is just how overpowered the glyphs are and without anything even approaching an excuse for them. Remember that pin for Grom? Well, in the show most plant users effectively stick to just making vines that aren’t weak but aren’t impressive. Well, Luz will show she can do that too in Wing it Like Witches in the literal next episode. But that’s not the problem. The problem is that effectively the FIRST real use of the plant glyph that we see is at the end of Grom where Luz plants a damn TREE. Thicker and sturdier than almost anything any dedicated plant mage, except maybe one or two of Terra’s summonings (which are mostly strung together vines), makes in the entire damn series and at least survives for MONTHS to be shedding its during Reaching Out, which is during fall so it may still just be alive at that point.

Then there’s the classic of course of Gus not expecting a fire glyph to work and launching the biggest fireball, if not energy spell, that we see in the ENTIRE SERIES. And that is the first glyph he EVER USES.

Which brings us to the fact that as Luz’s magic... destroys the adventure element of the series. By the end of S1, she is able to break out of the Conformatorium and have Warden Wrath on his knees (which I do suppose makes it clear how pointless the Bonesborough Brawl was I guess if Warden Wrath is the best they’ve got). This does have a nice  circle with the season opener but it also implies Luz is ridiculously powerful with glyphs she got literally two and three episodes ago as to be able to just do whatever she wants against trained guards like these.

And then in S2, she takes down the Selkidamus effectively on her own. The others help pull it into the boat but trapping it and slowing it? All her. And she’s already showing creative use with the glyphs with her ice skates on the water. This isn’t just not earned... It makes it seem like Luz is within the top ten mages in the Isles.

And how do you keep tension with that? Especially when Gus makes it clear that the glyphs are stupidly powerful without any effort. It makes moments like when all she uses against the Titan Trappers is a light glyph for a flash bomb feel disingenuous. We know she normally has more of them on her. We know how powerful she is. So why is she suddenly entirely defenseless against really basic spells and people who haven’t show us that they’re all that impressive in any way. And if you’re thinking that, the whole adventure aspect of the show is already screwed by early S2, if not S1′s end, because you can’t throw normal threats at her anymore. They HAVE to be bigger.

So if the glyphs suck for Luz and her character, how about other elements? Do they function thematically or for other characters?

No. If we go with mentor and student with Eda, Luz never learns them except VERY tangentially from Eda for the first two. The latter aren’t by Eda in any way. How about Found Family? Well, King only has a role with Luz in ONE of the four episodes getting the main glyphs and Lilith is the closest to being involved with any of the combo glyphs and that is even more tangential than saying Eda taught her two glyphs so... Nope. Nothing there either because they aren’t involved during those. It doesn’t play into fantasy vs reality either because none of them are earned so none of them can be playing with fantasy vs reality.

If you go with finding a place you belong, Luz specifically DOESN’T belong in Hexide, as shown by The First Day. She has to change the rules and that has nothing to do with her glyphs for her getting to study other magics, which also goes nowhere because she continues to only use glyphs. She does present glyphs to both Amity and Hunter as a part of their redemption arcs to finding better lives but neither starts actually using glyphs in any way and past a first moment with glyphs, they’re never brought up again with them so there’s no real point there either. Made worse yet but Luz claiming she’s working hard to become a witch to Amity when we haven’t really seen that yet nor will we see it going forward, though part of this has to do with flaws in Eda’s character concept in S1.

Worse yet, it actively is retconned to MAKE Luz a chosen one eventually despite what literally the second episode of the series says. Even more damning than the Titan though is Belos. He makes it clear that Luz is the first person in HUNDREDS of years to learn glyph magic (also making lines from The Intruder just make zero sense), that she learned them hundreds of times faster than him and that while he had to put work into getting them and discovering them, Luz never does. Not from what we’re shown at least.

From a worldbuilding standpoint too, it makes the witches look just terrible. Like... Did literally none of them ever stargaze? Or just admire a flower they made? Or check the ashes of something they lit on fire? Like... Luz doesn’t get these from hard to reach or rare sources. The only one that is unique at all to her circumstances is the light glyph which frankly feels like a cheat because... If it’s just in the circle, how has no one seen it? The brain can process single frame images at 60 fps or higher. That is a 60th of a second... And you’re trying to tell me that Luz’s cheap ass phone that cracks when dropped has a high shutter count lens that can go way higher than that so as to record a glyph that is apparently just IN the spell circle that is used during the light glyph.

And I will actually acknowledge that’s a nitpick. It’s frankly not a bad way to hold off on the glyph until later in the episode. With a fun tone, I don’t give a damn. But... Then her and the glyphs get a lot less fun and a lot less interesting and the fact that she is the only with them REALLY makes how she got them start feeling, I dunno, kind of important. And she gets them really badly. At least for having any excuse as to why she’s the ONLY one to have ever gotten them.

And this is not something that you can just toss to the side. This is your main character’s magic. In some settings, where their magic isn’t special, you might actually get away with it tossing it aside. But this was also her goal. She stayed in the Isles specifically to learn to be a witch. She finds a form of magic no one else knows about. It changes how her love interest perceives her when she first demonstrates it to her. It is pitched early on as a genuinely important part of the show.

But, much like how they’d introduce the Wittebane lore like it was important before discarding it in the finale, the show just discards the glyphs besides as a way to make Luz like a badass. And boy is that the most boring use of your main character’s magic, especially when her being a badass doesn’t reflect on her.

==========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Reviews- Surrender

Ohhh yeah, bitches. It's time for a JUICY review. My first review of a PooPoo Tier book. Just a heads up, this one is gonna get VERY salty.

Welcome to the thirty-fourth official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about Surrender, which I have ranked on the "PooPoo Tier" at 1 star out of a possible 10. My last and only playthrough of this was around February-June 2022 (for the first book) and October 2023 (for the second book).

Holy crap, this series is awful. Like, actually the worst of the whole app, in my opinion. 

It shot itself in the foot from the very start– you can’t have MC be trying to escape a toxic marriage, but have her new endgame love interest be just as bad if not worse than the ex spouse. Reagan literally talks to her as if she’s already their sub from day fucking one. And even worse, MC wants to be Reagan’s sub barely even a few chapters later, so it can almost be read as if Reagan coerced her into BDSM. 

And there was literally no reason to default MC to being a sub here. Okay, I guess it technically does set up the plot for Book 2 where Reagan is refusing to give up control, but saying it doesn’t make sense for the MC to not wanna dom at first is kinda bullshit. The writers say in their blog post about Surrender 1 that “It wouldn’t make sense for her to dom right away”, yet they’re okay with making her sub right away? Other than Reagan basically coercing her into the sub role, there’s nothing given about MC’s character that suggests she couldn’t have had interest in the dom role (or both, as a switch role) at first. 

Truth be told, I’d have much preferred if they let MC have options to try either of the roles and let the player build up her role as sub, dom, switch, sub-leaning, dom-leaning, etc. Especially since MC is supposed to be A) new to BDSM and B) freshly divorced after seeing her toxic spouse cheat on her. So let her take the time to explore and try out what she likes. That would be far more believable for the story and a far more immersive experience for the players. I get that said options wouldn’t have allowed for the arc of Reagan learning to give up some control, but surely they still could have done something creative for a more choice-based system. 

Book 2 does have us start to try a more dominant role, but it’s honestly meaningless. Because all that book does is, it doubles down on how toxic of a partner Reagan is. 

Yes, I know they do give some context for Reagan having control issues with their parents’ own abusive relationship, but as someone who has been in a fairly similar situation, it’s handled horribly. Their behaviors feel like they’re treated more as just an inconvenience or a minor hiccup, rather than genuinely toxic and abusive behaviors. 

Like, here’s all the shit Reagan does in Book 2. They go behind MC’s back to pull strings for her to get that job but then deliberately convinces her that she got it all on her own, constantly acts incredibly infantilizing to her, tries to enforce BDSM-style rules outside of the bedroom to the point where they straight up forbid her from doing a part of her own job, and– probably the worst of them all– literally tells MC “when a woman agrees to be my sub, she agrees to obey”. Honest to God, just that line right there was enough to put this series on my permanent Choices shitlist. 

And funnily enough, the series just almost got a chance to avoid it! After that awful line, MC finally gets some self-respect and dumps Reagan over their controlling behavior, and for a few chapters she has a big girls’ getaway trip with Malorie and (optionally) Reese (funnily enough the next book to be released after Surrender 2 is Getaway Girls). And let me tell you they’re the best chapters of this series and I enjoyed it to the max. It was the only part of the book I was willing to spend diamonds on. 

Now, had MC left Reagan for good– or at least had a proper talk with Reagan– then I might move this series up a view tiers. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from there. 

Reagan refuses to take accountability for MC leaving them, and then proceeds to make Anderson track MC down on her trip when they learn she might be taking a job in Seattle. Holy fuck PB, Reagan is literally just Pat Ransic 2.0. In fact, I think they’re much worse actually. 

And what makes it all tragic is that the ending, in theory, could have worked. Reagan does apologize, they do talk things out, Reagan does become more willing to give up control, and we are allowed to choose if we want to be dom, sub, or switch. 

It seems all well and good, except for one little problem: it doesn’t feel earned in the slightest, especially not when the two become engaged at the end of the book (the one time MC is the one who proposes to LI, and it’s in the shittiest Choices book that ever smelled like shit), barely even a chapter after their conversation. Which, by the way, only happened because Reagan tracked MC down on her getaway trip to Vegas. It’s rushed as all hell, and that’s putting it lightly. 

Not only that, but even though Reagan’s behaviors are addressed (or rather, lampshaded), it’s only part of the problem. Grant and Ray’s relationship, the relationship that the writers try to parallel with Reagan and MC’s relationship and that Reagan used to justify going back to MC, was a seemingly healthy relationship where they had struggles making things work, but they weren’t toxic. 

Reagan and MC’s relationship is straight up toxic from the start– again, they acted incredibly predatory towards MC on the very day they met, and their relationship has been filled with nothing but toxicity. And MC fails to realize this, even when calling out Reagan– which is why I don’t think the story really treats the full situation with enough seriousness. The story doesn’t just shoot itself in the foot– it shoots itself in both of its legs AND its free arm, so many times that it’s too late to even amputate them because it’s already died from bleeding out so goddamn much (I know that sounds pretty extreme, but you get the idea). 

Also, to add acid to all of the many wounds, this series was the perfect opportunity to let us have a pegging scene. But outside of one scene in Book 2 where you can mention MC wanting to use a strap-on, we don’t seem to get that. Oh, but they’re perfectly fine with writing Reagan blowing on MC’s cooch despite that that’s a huge risk for an air embolism which is potentially lethal. (Granted someone did say MC can use anal beads on Reagan in the finale scene if you choose MC to be a dom; but I played that scene, after having chosen MC to be dom, and uh… there was no option). 

You know what though, this series isn’t good enough to have pegging anyways. The only pegging Reagan deserves is a pegging in the face with a fucking hammer. 

Fuck this series. What a waste of potential.

[emblemxeno]

Legend of Korra First Watch: Book 4 & Overall Series Thoughts

Full thoughts under the cut!

-----Book 4 I feel did a fine-ass job with the emotional impact of Book 3's ending. "Korra Alone" is a stellar and heartwrenching episode, and incredibly done to showcase how Korra's trauma is continually affecting her ability to not only be a fighter and the Avatar, but also as a person. She's hesitant, afraid, and unsure of any decision she makes, but she comes out of it stronger as wise, compassionate, while still headstrong and a force to be reckoned with.

-----While most of main the cast personally don't hold a candle to ATLA's main cast (sans Tenzin of course 💞), Korra I learned to like more than Aang. I think her journey has been a treat to watch, despite the less likeable parts of the show. Now, Aang's emotional journey of maturity and remaining true to himself is still baller, but Korra's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with her identity, her powers and their responsibility, and learning to accept past mistakes and pain rather than run away from them, touches places in my soul that Aang's didn't quite reach. It's mostly personal preference, and I don't have a stake in which one was "objectively" done better than the other. Lord knows there's enough infighting between the shows' fandoms; even as someone who's not really a part of it has been unfortunately witness to endless social media wars, and I don't really care to join in that.

-----The Beifong family is such a joy to watch when on screen, and it's messy in all of the right ways. Even when Lin and Toph patch things up, it's still not perfect, and it shouldn't be. Now, IMO, the trope that a sequel series should feature the previous cast's kids is pretty cliched, but since it's done, it should be done well; in the Beifong family's case, I think it was raw and real and didn't pull punches. Toph as a mother was never gonna be good, considering how her family treated her. I think the further aspects of that is one of the few examples of generational trauma being done in a show, not even just an animated show (though that could be an indicator that I need to expand my media library to include more things that I might be resistant to). Toph being too isolated made her be too lax with Lin and Su, and that led to Lin being less willing to bend her ways and Su repeating her grandparents' mistakes by being to sheltering.

Opal was a great standout character for the first half of the Book! I liked her as it was in her appearances in Book 3, but damn she shot up the list fast. I like that despite being an airbender who's learned the teachings of the culture, she's no nonsense and wants to stop problems as they come rather than waiting. She's an earth kingdom citizen and a Beifong still, after all.

------Oh boy. Kuvira, Kuvira, Kuvira... okay I'm not against the idea of a character like her being included; lord knows, I fucking had to deal with so much shit the past 4.5 years because of a certain red emperor in a certain video game series, and they have undeniable similarities.

But why oh why is Kuvira the one that gets the sympathy treatment??? I don't give a damn that she was orphaned and that no one wanted her, she was a crazy nationalist who locked dissenters in concentration camps and was terrorizing the entire populace of the Earth Kingdom.

And for some reason she was treated the exact opposite of the previous Books' villains, where Amon, Zaheer, even fucking Unalaq had good points to make but were invalidated cuz they were too crazy or too evil or hypocrite frauds. Kuvira's never treated as if she's had good points, but she's awarded compassion at the end cuz... she's a hotblooded stubborn person like Korra? Absolute nonsense. How dare you write Korra to say those things to Kuvira at the end. I wish this series had one more Book with a villain that's not a nationalist that Korra can extend her compassionate side to, cuz this being the showcasing of such is so uncomfortable to me. I know that the comics exist, but I don't have interest in reading those nor the ATLA ones. Maybe someday, but not now.

Back to ranting about this season's writing of fascism: the writers tried to give some leeway by having Wu step down and dismantle the monarchy to establish democratic states, which... wow could you make it anymore obvious that you see western concepts of democracy and capitalism as superior things that everyone should take inspiration from. And, whatever, my own leftist beliefs and hangups aside, there's plenty to value in democracy despite not being anywhere near a perfect system of government. But for as much as monarchy isn't great, you don't need to kneecap monarchy as a result of the actions of a fucking fascist/nationalist. No form of government is as bad or worse than nationalist fascism. None. Nada. Zilch. They never have a point, they don't deserve sympathy, they're evil people who take away personhood, control people through fear, oppress minorities, and eliminate "less desirable" cultures.

And while this isn't as much of a crime as the messy fascism allegories... Varrick getting redemption? Really? I know it's still a show for kids/teens primarily, and you can't punish your comic relief, but still. He's an opportunist war profiteer, who was still a prisoner, mind you! Though it's to be expected of the era this show was created, where people thought the ultra rich "inventors" were cool nerds with attainable wealth, but growing up and seeing how utterly gross it is for people like Bezos and Elon to even be walking the earth, Varrick never gets a laugh out of me whatsoever.

But it's fine, it's a mid 2010's show and funny capitalist is funny, ha ha /s

-----Goodness me, does no one have anything to consistently do it seems. It's the Korra, Beifong, and Bolin show featuring the air kids. Which, okay, I like all those characters, but regulating Mako to a bodyguard of an... honestly annoying character? Did they have faith in this guy at all? Asami got off better cuz of her reconciling with her dad (redeeming another capitalist inventor who's also discriminatory and tried to supplant a government which put his daughter in danger, yeah okay) and her connection with Korra, but still it feels like she's often reduced to an emotional crutch. Which okay, yes, Korra's the main character, but I was getting genuinely worried that Asami wasn't gonna get resolution at the end.

-----Korrasami yaaaaaay!!!! Love queer people, I wish they were real /s

But seriously, though, I like them together. I imagine for a Nickelodeon show that higher-ups were not willing to give any room for their relationship, and that's why it kind of comes out of nowhere at the end. I'm too gay for my own good, so the subtle hints here and there during last season and this one certainly weren't lost on me. In terms of being a queer relationship in pre-gay marriage legalization U.S.? Fine enough.

-----Previous character cameos! They're there! Uh, I like seeing Toph! And Zaheer, while only a small appearance, it was a genius move for him to be an unorthodox mentor/guide for Korra to get past her block. Aside from those two, I can't say I cared enough about most other characters come back besides saying "oh yeah it's that guy!". Meh, maybe I just don't get it.

The clip show was nice! Again, it definitely shows that the executives/higher ups were not being nice to the creatives behind the show at all, but I'm glad they did what they could. Nothing could really top Ember Island Players, but I'm sure they could've done their own version had they been given time.

-----Overall, to me Book 4 really shows the entire series' strengths and weaknesses. I think it's strong when dealing with philosophy, character development and themes, character growth and consequence, aesthetics, and action packed fight scenes. And I think it's weak when trying to balance too many characters at once, lore expansion and backstory, and pretty much every attempt at political allegory.

That last point, specifically, I need to say some things: I'm not politically mature in the slightest. I'm a philosophical and critical thinking type of mind, and beyond my leftist beliefs, lots of political jargon and analysis of systems flies over my head or is often explained in too much of an exhausting way for me to pay attention. I can discourse on an individual basis, not really on a systemic one. I did just criticize the writing of fascism in this season, but trust, I didn't come up with that from reading extensive theory, it just came from my base level knowledge and my Deep Inner Feelings™️.

I watched that "Politics of Legend of Korra" series on youtube, and it was kind of difficult for me to understand beyond "the writers wrote themselves into a corner by the bad guys having too many good points and they can only straw man themselves out with the few episodes they have left." As an adult in a tumultuous society, I'm probably gonna take responsibility going forward to educate myself on these things more, just so I know wtf is going on besides the surface level stuff I'm already aware of.

-----But yeah, back to Korra. Good when characterizing and deep thinking, messy when worldbuilding and politicking. Book 3 is probably my favorite of all the seasons, and... Book 4 for now is sharing a spot with Book 1. Can't put the former one higher since despite the amount it did right, the compassion for the fascist is so utterly bonkers to me, it gave me metaphorical hives. Book 2 is on the bottom of the list for me, just... so many westernizations of eastern concepts and tries too much while sacrificing what the show is good at.

As a whole, I liked the show lots! Pretty much fell into the brackets of my pre-viewing expectations: higher highs than ATLA, but the lows are too low for me to ignore. ATLA isolated is stronger as a whole than TLOK is, IMO. However, I just wanna see it as a continuation of this world rather than just a show with a similar moniker, if only so I don't unwittingly throw my proverbial hat in the ring of this fandom's discourse.

Thanks for keeping up with my first watch of this series if you did! Stan Tenzin! He's my husband now! 💞💞💞

[wuzhere75]

More goofy idiots; high school musical edition. Also yeah I probably just could have gotten away with Kinkajou (also yes both her and Qibil’s names are misspelled AF in the image I’m not fixing it right now) plus the actual protags but I need to practice for Arc 3 which aparently has like several dozen pseudo-protagonists, which I’m probably going to do in a slightly different style because I like the idea of trying sketchy line art with the procreate brush pen.

Okay now time for the actual headcanons

-I originally was going to give Moon a way different design (her horns where going to be long and curved like ibex horns/crescent moons but I couldn’t get that to work in the sketch; she was going to have a split color design, like one side of her body was going to be light and the other dark like a half moon), but then my brain went “albino=white/pink with red eyes, that’s moon-y because the moon looks white from earth sometimes and blood moons are a thing so red”. I do like the sketch I came up with. I still think I could have gone harder with the wrinkly skin and underbite, since I imagine it those are details frequently found on Nightwings from the volcano.

-I think Moon being a twist villain, or at least an untrustworthy character, would be kind of interesting. Like if she had been the final POV character instead and she’d been kind of this ambiguous, somewhat suspicious guide to the Darkstalker stuff.

-The entire modern Icewing royal family is considered somewhat strange looking by that tribes standards; unusually short horns, typically no fur, and oddly dark and saturated colors. I’m not from a place that gets snowy, white winters that often. More “everything dies back and it gets muddy, foggy, and frosty”, thus Winter’s color palette.

-I have a headcanon that firescales/fireless twin sets are technically identical (Sky being NB), it’s just due to the presences of no/too much fire, their features develop differently. Peril has far richer and saturated colors than Sky, but their actual patterns are identical. Due to her fire, Peril’s feathers never properly grew in (she’s like the sphinx cat equivalent of a Skywing), while Sky by comparison is very floofy. However if you peeled Sky (shaved off their feathers), they would have the exact same body shapes and features as their sister. Also the aforementioned color patterns are based of the American Kestrel.

-I have a couple of old Turtle designs kicking around my Procreate; I originally was going to use one of them (which I might post at some point to embarrass myself), to inspire this one. However, I ended up creating something entirely new. My original design had him as a lot more solid, gross yellow-y shade of green, with no tan underbelly or needle. However I discovered that the underbelly and needle would give him some nice resemblance to his sister Tsunami. Also I was using mata-mata turtles as one of my primary design references and damn those bois got schnoze.

-Turtle also would have been an interesting twist villain. Like if we got faked out like “he’s too suspicious to be the bad guy” and then he just is.

-Funny thing about Qibil; I always mis-remembered Qibils earring as having a black diamond earring rather than an “orange sunstone” one. Perhaps I was confusing his drip with Blister’s. He gets both as a treat. Also the reason why he has the classic fan depiction head sail strandy-thingy because of the scar his mom gave him. The sail behind the scar grew back all delicate and long; he’s let it grow out to see how long it can get.

-The little unneeded spite for the series/fandom I have for some reason built up on Qibil for some reason. Maybe because seemingly the rest of the fandom worships the little guy. I’d probably like him if I actually read the books, but I have developed a stupid re-write of him where he is sort of like the annoying little brother of the Jade Winglet and Jade Moutain as a general who thinks he is hotter shit than he is that nobody dares talk down to for fear of bringing mama Thorn or big sister Sunny down on their asses. He’s tried to flirt with everybody in his winglet and they’ve all pushed him away with some degree of gentleness.

-IDK who was the first fan artist to do magenta-yellow-cyan Kinkajou but it sure as hell works. I have a headcanon that younger Rainwing dragonets tend to have brighter, saturated comfort colors (image the “crayola water marker base pack” color palette). However as Rainwings mature, they tend to “mild” out their comfort colors with more varied hues. Thus, she used to have the neon pink-yellow color palette when she was younger. Also she kind of ended up looking kind of like a lychee or rambutan and I love it.

-I didn’t have too many thoughts on Umber. I mostly just focused on making him look different enough from Clay while still making him look like a possible sibling.

-I thought I was going to put more effort into Carnelians design, but I ended up just yeeting something together based off the real world carnelian stone.

-I know Anenome is described as being pink and blue/white in the books, but where I live we have neat little pink tipped green anemones so that’s her color palette. Also I imagine she wears a lot more jewelry when she’s at home but she just took a few things with her to school.